Kenya bid an emotional farewell on Friday to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the veteran opposition leader and democracy activist who died earlier this week in India at the age of 80. Presidents and envoys from across Africa joined thousands of mourners in Nairobi for a solemn state funeral that celebrated the life and legacy of a man who shaped Kenya’s democratic journey for more than half a century.

Crowds packed a soccer stadium draped in the national colors, where Odinga’s flag-covered casket rested at the center of an Anglican Church service. The air was filled with chants, hymns, and tributes as mourners waved portraits of the late statesman and carried twigs — a traditional Kenyan symbol of peace and unity. Tight security surrounded the venue after a chaotic scene the previous day left three people dead and several others injured when police tried to control the surging crowds during a public viewing.

Odinga, who ran unsuccessfully for Kenya’s presidency five times, remains revered as the moral heart of the country’s opposition and a relentless champion of reform. His decades of activism and political sacrifice helped usher in Kenya’s multiparty democracy, earning him admiration far beyond the nation’s borders. As his casket departed the stadium to the sound of the national anthem, Kenyans wept and cheered in unison — a final salute to a man many called the “People’s President.”

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