SIAYA, Kenya – In a significant cultural event, Raila Odinga Junior has been formally installed as the new head of the prominent Odinga family. The traditional Luo rite took place on Thursday at the family’s Opoda Farm in Bondo, Siaya County, just four days after the burial of his father, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The ceremony, which marks the symbolic end of the mourning period, was led by his elder uncle, Dr. Oburu Oginga. Key rituals included the ceremonial shaving of hair, a practice that signifies the transition of responsibility and the conclusion of one phase of life to begin another.
The installation formally places Raila Odinga Junior at the helm of the family’s cultural and political legacy, a role previously held by his late father.
Following the intimate family gathering, a procession proceeded to the gravesite of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga—Kenya’s first Vice President and the family’s patriarch—to affirm the continuity of the family’s leadership across generations.
In a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on the same day, Raila Odinga Junior acknowledged the new responsibility. “Adwoko ne Uganda wa Erokamano… kaka jaduong dala,” he wrote in a mix of Luo and English, which translates to, “Thank you all… for the support as I am installed as the family head.”
He added, “Thank you all for standing with our family during this unfortunate period. God bless you all.” The post has garnered tens of thousands of views and thousands of likes, reflecting the public’s keen interest in the succession within Kenya’s most prominent political family.
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