A Passing That Revives Ancient Rites
When Kenya’s veteran leader Raila Odinga passed away, it wasn’t just a political moment — it triggered a rich tapestry of culture. As the body returned to his home region in Siaya County, many of the traditional customs of the Luo people were brought into full view. These rituals — some fading, some revived — frame how the Luo community honours one of its elders, and help us understand what a funeral of this scale really means.
1. The Death Announcement (“Tero Yuok”)
In Luo tradition, the moment of death is formally announced, typically by women, with a long wail and the beating of drums.
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This wailing, often done at dawn or dusk, signals the community that an elder has passed and the ritual period begins. In Raila’s case, the news swept through not only family and clan but the nation, and elders remarked that traditions like these were being revived for such a high-profile send-off.
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2. Body Preparation and the Vigil (“Arita” / “Budho”)
Once the body is brought home, close relatives wash and dress the deceased in either traditional or formal attire. A night vigil — called arita or budho — begins, where friends and family stay up, sing dirges, recount the life of the departed, and keep vigil through the night.
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Fires (called magenga) may be lit to symbolically provide warmth for the spirit entering the ancestral realm.
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In the case of a leader like Raila, this stage blends the traditional with the modern — many people streamed in to pay respects, yet the foundational vigil elements remained.
3. Grave Digging & Burial Location
Traditionally, for an elder or married man, the grave is dug on the right side of his house/homestead, with the head of the coffin facing the main gate. For a married woman, the left side is used.
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Importantly, the body is often placed in the home overnight (or part of the night) so mourners can view it before the formal burial.
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In Raila’s case, his home compound and burial site had been identified in advance (near his father’s mausoleum) consistent with custom.
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4. The Tero Buru — Cleansing the Homestead
One of the most distinctive Luo rituals is the Tero Buru — which can be translated loosely as “driving of the bull” or “driving away death”. In this rite, men and youths take cattle (often bulls) around the compound of the deceased, blow horns, sing war-songs, create dust (buru) as symbolic of the commotion of life, and finally drive the spirits to water bodies like rivers or lakes.
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The purpose: to cleanse the homestead of the shadow of death, honour the life of the departed, and send the spirit safely on its way. For an elder of national importance, this ritual takes on extra weight, as it symbolises communal respect, closure and transition.
5. Shaving (Liedo) and Widow Rituals
After burial, another ritual is performed: shaving of the widow (and close family) to signify the break from mourning and the purification of the household. In older times, the widow would even be inherited by a male relative to maintain the homestead’s continuity.
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While modern influences have changed some practices, the essential symbolism remains: death is not just an end, but a change. The family must transition into a new phase.
6. Succession, Remembrance & Feasting
Funerals for elders in Luo culture may involve up to fourteen distinct rites — though many are adapted or omitted in modern times.
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These include: public feasting, division of the deceased’s articles, visitation to the widow’s original home, and later commemorative visits (rapar). The feasting and communal sharing help bind the living back together, heal the rupture of loss, and acknowledge the legacy of the departed.
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In the case of Raila Odinga, many of these ceremonies were honoured with public viewings, speeches, national mourning, and ritual acknowledgement in his home region.
7. Green Branches & Mourning Symbolism
A more visible element: mourners often carry or wear green twigs (in Dholuo: okumba) to signify that they are in mourning, that they are walking with the spirit of the deceased. The green branch becomes a symbol of the community’s shared participation in grief.
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For Raila’s send-off, such symbols were widespread — tugging cultural markers into national awareness.
✅ Why These Rituals Matter
Community cohesion & role transition: The passing of an elder is also the handing over of social roles. The Luo believe that when an elder dies, another must step into leadership.
Tuko.co.ke – Kenya news.
Spiritual continuity: Death is not the end; the deceased joins the ancestral world and continues to protect the living. Rituals ensure the transition is peaceful and the living are safe.
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Healing & closure: The sequence of rites provides structured mourning, collective expression of grief, and finally, re-entry into daily life after closure.
Respect for legacy: For a figure like Raila Odinga, observing the rituals signals respect not only to him, but to the culture he came from. It elevates the moment beyond politics into heritage.
📝 Final Thoughts
In the wake of Raila Odinga’s passing, the Luo community’s ancient rites were more than ceremonial—they were a mirror of his life: disciplined, honouring service, bridging tradition and modernity.
Rituals like Tero Buru and the public wailing aren’t archaic; rather, they are living symbols of respect, transition and communal memory.
As Kenya bids farewell to one of its own, these rituals remind us: leaders don’t just live in their policies, they live in the culture they stand in. And when they die, that culture carries them home.
