The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has announced a nationwide candle-lighting ceremony on Friday, October 2, to honour former Prime Minister Raila Odinga ahead of the first anniversary of his death.
The party has called on Kenyans at home and abroad to light candles simultaneously at 6pm in memory of Odinga, who died on October 15, 2025, while receiving medical treatment in India.
The candle-lighting will mark the beginning of ODM’s month-long commemorative programme dubbed “Mwezi wa Baba”, which the party has dedicated to remembering Odinga’s political journey and public life.
In Nairobi, a main gathering has been announced at Uhuru Park, with activities scheduled to begin at 3pm and continue until midnight. The candle-lighting is expected to take place at 6pm.
Lang’ata MP Phelix Odiwuor, popularly known as Jalang’o, announced the Uhuru Park event and urged members of the public to attend.
Other candle-lighting activities are planned in different parts of the country, including Kisumu and Mombasa.
ODM national chairperson and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has also urged Kenyans to participate in the exercise.
In a post on X, Wanga described Odinga as “Baba”, “Agwambo Wuod Nyalego” and the “father of devolution”, and called on Kenyans to light a candle in his memory.
- Raila Odinga, Kenya’s former PM, dies at 80 in India
- Raila Amolo Odinga: A life lived in defiance of silence
- Raila Odinga: The patriot who put Kenya before himself
“On Friday, 2nd October at exactly 6:00 PM, wherever you are, in Kenya or across the globe, light one candle for Baba. Where will you be lighting yours from?” she said.
The candle-lighting will precede the first anniversary of Odinga’s death on October 15. ODM’s commemorative programme includes a series of activities across the country throughout October, with events planned in Kakamega, Bondo, Garissa, the Coast, Kajiado and Turkana before the programme concludes in Nairobi on October 31.
Odinga died in India on October 15, 2025, aged 80. He was subsequently accorded a state funeral and buried at Kang’o ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County, on October 19, 2025.
ODM has said the commemorative activities are intended to give Kenyans an opportunity to remember and reflect on Odinga’s political journey and the issues he championed during his decades in public life.
The party has invited Kenyans to take part in the campaign under the hashtag #MweziWaBaba and “Light up for Baba” wherever they are.
– By John Murunga
Email your news TIPS to Editor@nairobilawmonthly.com, and to advertise with us, call +254715061658 anytime of the day
