By Anderson Ojwang
In Kisumu today, the Handshake of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Broad-Based Government of President William Ruto converged in a peaceful last honour of the departed enigma, Raila Amolo Odinga.
Unknown to many, the venue — Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium, at Kisumu’s Showground — was the product of the political Handshake between Uhuru and Raila after the disputed 2017 elections.
Then Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Amina Mohamed, disclosed that President Uhuru Kenyatta had given her specific instructions that a world-class stadium be built in Kisumu forthwith.
“We were directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta to put up a stadium in these grounds and make sure it’s a modern, beautiful and befitting facility for the city of Kisumu.
We have to ensure that work is completed between six and ten months. If we have a beautiful stadium in Kisumu, it will serve the entire region well, so I’m grateful that the President gave priority to this region,” Amina said then.
The 30,000-capacity Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium, constructed at a cost of Sh350 million, first opened its doors to the historic 2021 Madaraka Day celebrations.
The 2018 Kenya Handshake was a political truce made on 9th March 2018 between President Uhuru and former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila. It brought an end to the acrimony between leading political parties and tribes and promised to usher in a new era of peace. The two leaders pledged to work together to address ethnic division, corruption, and historical injustice.
The historic peace accord gave Kenya a rebirth, with Kisumu becoming Uhuru’s beloved destination, which he frequented and drove in freely.
Unknown to him and Raila, the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium — the Handshake project — was today the venue where mourners gathered peacefully to honour Raila en route to Bondo for his burial on Sunday.
At the stadium, the Broad-Based Government took charge, giving Raila a statesman’s and befitting last respect. Raila landed in a military chopper and was later flown to his Opoda home for an overnight stay.
During the 2024 Gen Z protests over the anti-finance bill and high cost of living that nearly degenerated into making Kenya a failed state, Ruto and Raila formed the Broad-Based Government.
Recently, Ruto and Raila signed a memorandum of understanding formalising the Broad-Based Government.
Kenyans stand to gain more from the Broad-Based Government as opposed to a divided country along ethnic lines.
“No community, county, or region will be sidelined by the Broad-Based Government.”
The Broad-Based Government raised the status of Raila’s last journey, affording him a near-presidential treatment.
As a hero and a king, Raila is the first civilian to have been driven in a military vehicle that previously carried the late President Mwai Kibaki and the late General Francis Omondi Ogolla, who was the Chief of Defence Forces.
Raila became the third person, and the only civilian, to have enjoyed the status of a military procession, and the pallbearers were Colonels — a rank below the Major who carries the bodies of Presidents.
In the procession were military vehicles — an honour for a statesman and Baba.
President Ruto gave Raila a state burial, declared seven days of mourning, ordered the flying of the national flag at half-mast, and declared Friday a public holiday.
As the military flew off from Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium, Kenyans witnessed the fruits of the two political unions that have shielded the nation and held it together.
The stadium will remain historic as the last point where Uhuru and Ruto converged in honour of Raila’s immense contribution to the nation.
And Kisumu did not disappoint. It was peaceful — no ugly scenes or any reported deaths. Raila rode peacefully to his final resting place.
