Nine days after his burial in Kang’o Ka Jaramogi, Bondo, Siaya County, the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is set to be honoured with a special memorial prayer service in Uganda. The event, led by the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, will take place on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at All Saints Cathedral, Nakasero, in Kampala.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) expressed deep appreciation to Captain Mike Mukula, National Chairman of the Pan-African Movement Uganda Chapter, and JB John Baptist Ouma, a rising Ugandan political figure, for coordinating the event.
“A special memorial prayer service in honour of our departed leader, Raila Odinga, will be held tomorrow at All Saints Cathedral in Uganda. Special thanks to Captain Mike Mukula, Baba’s friend, and his team for this honour,” ODM stated via its official X account on Monday, October 27, 2025.
The memorial underscores Raila Odinga’s longstanding historical and personal ties to Uganda a country that once offered him refuge during a critical period in his political journey. In the early 1990s, amid political persecution under former President Daniel arap Moi’s regime, Raila fled Kenya, making a perilous journey across Lake Victoria into Uganda.
Disguised as a Catholic priest named Father Augustine from Machakos, Raila evaded arrest, travelling from Nairobi through Bondo to Sirongo Beach, before crossing the lake under moonlight. Upon arrival in Uganda, he continued by bicycle and bus to Kampala, registering with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) under the alias Joseph Ojiwa.
From there, the UN facilitated his political asylum in Norway, marking the beginning of his international advocacy for democracy and reform.
The upcoming memorial service in Kampala is seen as a reflection of his enduring influence across East Africa and a testament to the regional impact of his lifelong fight for democracy, unity, and justice.
