Raila Odinga Junior has welcomed all Kenyans to Kang'o Ka Jaramogi to pay homage to his deceased father, the late Raila Odinga.
Raila, who died in India aged 80, was laid to rest on October 19. The send-off was a culmination of the state funeral organised by President William Ruto's government in honour of his stature as an accomplished statesman.
He was laid to rest beside the mausoleum that houses the grave of his father, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
On Saturday, October 25, Kang'o Ka Jaramogi played host to the Council of Governors (CoG), whose members, sitting governors, visited to honour the late Raila.
To welcome them was Junior, who was recently installed as the head of the family following the demise of their patriarch.
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Addressing his audience at the gravesite, Junior stated that all Kenyans were invited to Kang'o Ka Jaramogi regardless of their status, tribe, or even political leaning.
"One thing I wanted to say, the last time I stayed here as an ordinary family member, but now as one of the elders of this home. As we mourn here, we welcome everyone, the entirety of Kenya. You are welcome to Kang'o Ka Jaramogi. We do not stop anyone from coming to pay their last respects in this home," he said.
His sentiments seemed to dissent from the position held by a section of the ODM party membership, which had declared that former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua and his allies should not visit Bondo.
On October 22, some party officials held a presser in Kisumu attended by ODM's national chairperson Gladys Wanga, who is also Homa Bay governor.
They declared that Gachagua would not be tolerated in Bondo.
Their presser was in response to the remarks of Nyeri governor Mutahi Kahiga, who had seemed to celebrate the demise of Raila, suggesting it was a divine intervention by God in favour of the Mt Kenya region.
The aggrieved ODM officials claimed Kahiga's sentiments had the blessing of Gachagua.
They argued that the Nyeri governor is a close ally of the former deputy president, adding that the latter might have sent him to spew such.
As a result, they declared Gachagua a prohibited person in Bondo.
Meanwhile, Kahiga's sentiments were heavily criticised. As a result, he was removed from the CoG leadership, where he served as the vice chairman.
The Gachagua-led opposition faction also disowned him, saying it did not identify with his incendiary remarks.
Kahiga had suggested that Raila's death would favour Mt Kenya, given that the development and resources that were being channeled to Nyanza and Western Kenya regions would be redirected to the mountain.
According to him, Raila was influencing government policies and the sharing of resources, having been close to President William Ruto.
