How Uhuru helped to turn Raila's grave into a shrine

Rarely do prominent people die and then a cult-like atmosphere develops immediately. But it happened following the death of Raila Amolo Odinga. Everything about him, alive or dead, was different from the others. In Kenya, others who had similar traits were Dedan Kimathi, Jomo Kenyatta, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenneth Matiba, Daniel arap Moi, and Mwai Kibaki. Each of the above had reason for people to develop a post-life cult-like behaviour around them but they did not. None of them had Uhuru Kenyatta as ‘Uji’ drinking buddy.

The closest to Raila, in terms of post-death public interest, was Kimathi whose grave remains an official mystery probably for fear that admirers might turn it into a shrine. In 1968 Minister of State Mbiyu Koinange assured Parliament that the government was taking care of Kimathi’s grave and that it planned to give Kimathi a national funeral befitting a national hero. But for some inexplicable reason, the government abandoned the idea of honouring Kimathi or even revealing where his grave was.

Although Kenyatta’s grave is known, no cult developed around it and it never became a shrine. Being an old ailing man, Kenyatta’s death had been so expected that it explained the politics of his death that dominated Kenya on the eve of independence and much of post-colonial Kenya. He eventually died in 1978 and no shrine was developed. No shrine too was developed in Bondo following Jaramogi’s death in 1994.

Similarly, no shrines are evident for either Moi or Kibaki who, like Jomo, received appropriate State funerals and then faded from public consciousness in part because they did not arouse post-death emotions. Matiba, who had the potential for arousing emotions, disappointed his admirers by being cremated instead of having the expected burial ceremony. Things, however, appear to be different with Raila as he surpasses all others in his post-earth attractions.

Among the attractions was that not everything about the elaborate plans for Raila’s exit from the earth went well. Upon the end of the official burial ceremony at Kang’o ka Jaramogi, for instance, mourners stormed in and danced ‘tere buro’ on Raila’s grave in order to chase away the spirits. Thereafter, the grave needed re-doing.

The overpouring of the people at Kang’o ka Jaramogi was similar to what had happened at the airport where security procedures were useless where the people were concerned. The ‘tere buro’ dance was not surprising and would have been forgotten except for Uhuru inadvertently helping to turn the grave into a shrine. 

Instead of going to Kitui for Mashujaa Day ceremony, the former president unexpectedly returned to the grave the next day to pay additional respect to his ‘uji’ drinking buddy. He had been the only one, with the possible exception of Babu Owino, who received warm reception from the mourning public in part because he was genuine and made people relax. Doing everything his way, he introduced the terminology of a ‘gumzo’ stimulator called ‘Uji’ that sent people laughing the way no other person could.

Among those impressed by this was Jaramogi’s grandson who wanted Uhuru’s ‘Uji’ to enable him to address people with the ease of Uhuru. When it came to laying flowers, he placed his flower at a place of his choice rather than the one chosen for him. After the ‘tere buro’ dance, Uhuru showed up at the grave the next day to commune with Raila. Because Uhuru paid his private homage to Raila, other ‘dignitaries’ felt obliged to do the same and be seen to praise the dead leader.

People competing to be seen to do what Uhuru did are systematically turning Raila’s grave into a shrine, with all the cult symbolism that it entails. They include leaders of various political parties and communities, mainly those who could not speak during the various funeral events. Lining up at Raila’s grave helps to turn it into a shrine. Uhuru set the stage; others followed.