Different sections of Luhya elders arrived at the native home of the late Raila Odinga in Bondo to honour him.
The first team comprised Maragoli elders sent by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
They arrived early on Saturday, October 18, delivering six bulls in honour of the departed leader.
According to them, the significance of the spectacle was to honour Raila, given his prominence and the stature he held in his adult life.
They added that the bulls signify an official message of consolation from the Luhya community to the Luo community after the loss the latter has suffered.
The elders also regarded the Luhya and Luo communities as being close, hence the need for such rituals.
Five of the bulls represent the five counties from Western Kenya, and one is from the Prime CS.
"The bulls are six, and five of them represent the five counties in Western Kenya, and one from the Prime Cabinet Secretary. We are very close to the Luhya community. In fact, we are in-laws, and we have come here to share in their grief. We want to assure them that we will walk together in this journey," said the elders' spokesperson.
The elders prayed over and blessed the bulls before releasing them to the Odinga family.
They are to be slaughtered and served to mourners to celebrate the life of Raila.
The second group comprised Bukusu elders from Trans Nzoia.
It was led by DAP-Kenya party leader Eugene Wamalwa.
The DAP-K leader noted that the gesture was in reciprocation of the honour Raila accorded his elder brother, the late Wamalwa Kijana.
When Wamalwa died in 2003, Raila led a team of Luo elders to Kitale, where they honoured the then Vice President.
They delivered bulls and performed rituals to honour the departed.
"Today, I lead members of my family, my party DAP-Kenya, and the larger Luhya family to Kang'o ka Jaramogi in Bondo to honour our departed hero. The Wamalwa family and the larger Luhya family have had a long and deep history of friendship, good neighbourliness, and shared values and ideologies towards a better Kenya, which we commit to carry on, even after losing our hero," Wamalwa said.
Raila died in India, where he was receiving treatment after suffering a heart attack.
He is set to be laid to rest on Sunday, October 19, at his native home in Bondo, Siaya County.
