Organisers of the first anniversary commemoration of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's death are grappling with a protocol question over the role of former President Uhuru Kenyatta at Thursday's main event in Bondo, Siaya County.

The memorial service is set for Thursday, October 15, at the Migwena Cultural and Sports Ground in Bondo, exactly a year after Raila died while receiving treatment in India.

Chief guest question

According to the Nation, a member of the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga family said Kenyatta had initially been invited as chief guest, and a section of the organisers wanted him to preside over the commemoration. The invitation was reportedly extended on the assumption that President William Ruto would not attend.

The President has since indicated that he will be present, and Capital FM reported that the published programme lists him as expected at the main ceremony. Under state protocol, the Head of State is the last to speak at any event he attends, which leaves the role of a chief guest other than the President unclear.

Other family members have resisted the plan to have Kenyatta preside, the Nation reported. An ODM MP, speaking anonymously, told the paper that the former President could not serve as chief guest at an event attended by the sitting Head of State. Kenyatta's communications secretary, Kanze Dena-Mararo, said his attendance was yet to be confirmed.

Family calls for inclusivity

Raila's daughter Winnie Odinga has called for the anniversary to be open to all. "We don't want it to be a day of gatekeeping," she said, as quoted by the Nation. Raila's widow, Ida Odinga, has also said the occasion should bring together Kenyans from different political and social backgrounds, while the family has described the anniversary as belonging to the people whose lives Raila touched.

A national steering committee chaired by Prof Adams Oloo is coordinating the main commemoration, while ODM is running its own programme of activities.

Week of events

The family's commemorative activities began on Saturday, October 10, and run until the anniversary. They include regional events and a candlelight vigil on the eve of the memorial.

On October 7, President Ruto unveiled the Raila Amolo Odinga Mausoleum at Kang'o ka Jaramogi in Bondo, where the former Prime Minister was buried with military honours. ODM, meanwhile, launched a month-long programme of remembrance with a nationwide candle-lighting ceremony on October 2, including an event at Uhuru Park in Nairobi.

Political backdrop

The anniversary comes at a delicate moment. ODM has been working with President Ruto under the broad-based arrangement, while Kenyatta and the President have been at odds publicly. Kenyatta and Raila famously reconciled through the 2018 handshake, and Kenyatta backed Raila's presidential bid in 2022.

How the organisers resolve the seating and speaking order on Thursday will be closely watched as a signal of the shifting alliances ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Photo: Amanda Lucidon (Kenyatta) and World Economic Forum (Odinga) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0