A deeply symbolic ceremony is unfolding at the Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s home in Opoda farm, Bondo, marking a significant moment in the continuation of lineage, culture, and family leadership. Senator Oburu Oginga, the cultural head of the larger Oginga family, clarified the meaning of the day’s event, emphasizing that it was not about politics or public leadership, but about preserving the sacred traditions that define the home and the family’s place in Luo culture.

“The seat of power in this home now rests with the new leader, Raila Junior, together with his mother,” he declared. “The mother will always be there to offer guidance and wisdom, but the young man must stand firm and lead this home. That is our culture.”

As the family patriarch, Senator Oburu Odinga explained that he remained the overall cultural leader of the Odinga clan, a role he held even during the lifetime of the late family patriarch. This passing of the mantle, he said, was rooted in ritual and guided by time-honored customs. According to the Luo tradition, the fourth day after burial holds special significance. “My brother was buried on Sunday last week,” he noted, adding that the fourth night marked the official end of the funeral.

“We do not disregard culture,” Senator Odinga said. “Even in the Bible, you find stories of blessings of Jacob and Esau, of fathers passing their blessings to sons. In our way too, blessings are given through ceremony, often marked by symbolic acts such as slaughtering animals or shaving to signify cleansing and continuity.”

As the ceremony proceeded, the family prepared to perform the traditional shaving ritual, a symbolic act marking renewal and the start of new responsibility for Raila Junior. “Junior will go through the ritual,” Senator Odinga explained, “It will begin with a little shaving, done by one of his grandmothers. After that, he will receive the instruments of power – the symbols that affirm his role as the new head of the home.”

Senator Odinga urged everyone present to understand the importance of the ritual, clarifying that it was not tied to superstition but to culture and faith. “This is not witchcraft, it is simply a blessing, the way our people have always done it. Religion does not stand against culture; the two must go hand in hand,” he said firmly.