Lang’ata MP Phelix Odiwour, popularly known as Jalang’o, has announced a candle-lighting ceremony at Nairobi’s Uhuru Park on Friday in memory of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The event is scheduled for October 2 and will run from 3pm until midnight. It is part of a month-long programme of commemorations planned to mark the first anniversary of Raila’s death.
Jalang’o announced the event on Tuesday, describing October as “Mwezi wa Baba” and calling on Kenyans to join the gathering.
“This Friday, 2nd October, we will gather at Uhuru Park from 3:00 PM until midnight for a candle-lighting celebration in honour of our late party leader, Baba Raila Amollo Odinga,” he said.
The MP said the ceremony would offer supporters and members of the public an opportunity to remember Raila and reflect on his political career.
He also said several political leaders were expected to attend, including Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga.
The Uhuru Park event is the first major activity in a wider programme dedicated to Raila. Jalang’o had earlier said the commemorations would continue throughout October, culminating in a major gathering in Nairobi on October 31.
Raila died in India on October 15, 2025, aged 80. He served as Kenya’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 and was a founding figure of the Orange Democratic Movement. He was buried at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County.
The Orange Democratic Movement has separately announced memorial activities across the country during October, while Raila’s family is also preparing a national programme around the first anniversary of his death.
The commemorations are expected to bring together Raila’s family, political associates, supporters and members of the public as the country reflects on his decades-long role in Kenyan politics.
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