Kenya has kicked off preparations to build a tomb and a mausoleum for the late Raila Odinga in Kang’o ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County, revealing a mix of unique fittings and features of the facility to be built by the National Museum of Kenya (NMK).
Odinga, a former Prime Minister, long-time opposition leader, and a central figure in Kenya’s post-independence politics, died in October 2025 while receiving treatment in an Indian hospital. He was 80 and was accorded a State funeral.
Proposals seen by the Business Daily revealed that Odinga’s memorial tomb would measure six square metres and be clad in imported Italian Carrara marble– a coveted premium natural stone quarried in the Apuan Alps of Tuscany, Italy.
Carrara has a soft white look with feathery veins and has been used in many globally famous architectural marvels, such as The Pantheon in Rome, the statue of David by Michelangelo, and Marble Arch in London.
“The entire tomb will be finished with marbles, as per the architects’ drawings and finishes schedule. The entire tomb structure, including horizontal and vertical surfaces, skirtings, copings, edges, shall be cladded with first-class ‘Italian Carrara’ marble,” NMK said.
The Pantheon in Rome is one of the ancient world’s best preserved monuments, and its structure heavily relied on pristine white Carrara marble from Tuscany to line its exterior and shape its magnificent interior columns.
The iconic Statue of David, a 5.17 metres tall masterpiece by Michelangelo, was also carved from a single block of white Italian Carrara marble. The Statue of David, a biblical hero who slayed the giant Goliath, has been indoors at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence since 1873.
Disclosures showed that Odinga’s tomb would be enclosed in a stone-walled structure with a granite floor and would be accessed through a monumental double-leaf carved Lamu hardwood door measuring four metres by four metres.
The mega door would be constructed from seasoned mvule or mahogany hardwood with traditional Swahili or Lamu hand-carved decorative panels, incorporating six-millimeter-thick clear toughened glass infill panels, complete with heavy-duty hinges.
The tomb cubicle would have a bamboo-threaded screen wall.
The Odinga tomb will sit within a freshly built mausoleum whose external walls will be constructed from natural quarry semi-dressed blue stones, cut to block size: bedded and jointed in cement and sand mortar.
The NMK has proposed that the Odinga mausoleum will be fitted with a life-size sculpture of Jowi, a Luo word for a Buffalo. Jowi was Raila’s famous dirge, and he routinely chanted it at funerals.
The Jowi is a traditional Luo mourning chant that symbolises a “buffalo,” representing strength, courage, and fearlessness. In Luo culture, it is reserved exclusively to honor respected leaders, warriors, and elders who have led large, impactful lives and left behind a strong legacy.
NMK said the National Treasury has released funds for the Odinga mausoleum and tomb project, but did not reveal the amount.
