Organisers of celebrations to honour the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga have warned troublemakers to stay away, saying the events will be open to Kenyans from across the country and focused on bringing people together.
Committee chairperson Prof Adams Oloo said on Thursday, September 17, 2026, that the celebrations would be national and open to people regardless of their religious, political or regional backgrounds.
Oloo said Raila’s widow, Ida Odinga, had made it clear that although everyone was welcome, “goons” would not be allowed to take part in the celebrations.
“This celebration shall be about the people. She (Mama Ida) told me that all the people are invited, but goons are also people. She told me three times that they are not invited, although they are people,” Oloo said.
He said the occasion should bring Kenyans together without being divided along religious or regional lines, adding that it should reflect Raila’s values.
“This celebration has to be national; it knows no religion, it has no boundary. It has to reflect what Baba was,” he said.
Oloo spoke during the unveiling of the committee appointed by Ida Odinga to coordinate the celebrations.
The committee includes representatives from the government, political institutions, civil society, academia, the private sector and the Odinga family.