Raila family to lead official candle lighting ceremony despite ODM's nationwide exercise

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The National Steering Committee on the late Raila Odinga's First Anniversary Commemoration announced yesterday that his family will lead the official candle-lighting ceremony in honour of the late former prime minister on October 14, 2026, at his family home in Kang'o Ka'Jaramogi.

The committee, through its vice chairman, who is also the Member of Parliament for Rarieda, Otiende Amolo, made the announcement  at Kang'o Ka'Jaramogi during a meeting to finalise the preparations for a state ceremony to officially open and hand over Raila Odinga's mausoleum, which has been under construction in Kang'o.

Otiende's announcement, in the presence of the late Odinga's widow, Ida Odinga and eldest daughter, Rosemary Odinga, came amid intense preparations by the ODM party to light candles across the country in honour of its late founding leader.

"The official candle lighting ceremony will be held on October 14th, led by Mama Ida Odinga and the family," he said.

The family-led candle lighting ceremony would also mark the official start of the late Odinga's first death anniversary celebrations.

The Rarieda MP's remarks at Kang'o Ka'Jaramogi now add to a series of remarks  the Raila family has made regarding his first anniversary celebration, which appears to push the late Odinga's ODM party away from the centre of the events to celebrate the late opposition leader's death anniversary.

Last month, ODM announced a series of events including a number of ODM rallies across the Country to honour the life of its late leader Raila Odinga, but in a twist, the family, in a widely shared statement, appeared to differ with the late Odinga's party, insisting that the ceremonies to honour Odinga would be inclusive and family-led, thus not merely ODM events.

The family went ahead to form  a national steering committee led by Raila's long-time technocrat and advisor Adams Oloo. Other committee members included ODM's nominated senator Crystal Asige, who is a member of the breakaway ODM outfit led by Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna, and Siaya governor James Orengo, among other leaders under the banner of Linda Mwanainchi.