Chief Justice Martha Koome on Saturday, November 1, 2025, led a Judiciary and Judicial Service Commission delegation to Raila Odinga’s grave at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County, where she paid tribute to the late former Prime Minister.

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Koome and senior judicial officers stood beside the grave as they condoled with Mama Ida Odinga and the Odinga family. The CJ described Raila as a constitutional leader who trusted legal institutions even during the most difficult political periods.

Koome recalled first meeting Raila in the 1980s when she joined the legal team that represented him during his detention without trial.

“I was only 26 years old,” she wrote, noting that the encounter gave her a firsthand view of Raila’s courage and faith in justice. She said their paths crossed again in the 1990s during the struggle for multi-party democracy and a new constitutional order.

In her message posted on Saturday, Koome noted that many remember Raila for the three presidential election petitions that shaped Kenya’s electoral jurisprudence, but she highlighted his earlier public interest litigation.

Tribute to legal legacy

She cited landmark cases from the 1980s and 1990s in which Raila challenged abuses of power and pushed courts to define liberty and accountability. She said Raila helped expand constitutional interpretation, and that his persistence forced Kenya’s courts to confront questions of justice even under repression.

“His journey reminds us that the courtroom, not the battlefield, is the true arena of democratic contestation,” Koome said, calling Raila a constitutional pilgrim whose faith in the rule of law strengthened Kenya’s institutions.

Koome’s visit adds to a steady stream of prominent figures who have travelled to Bondo since Raila’s burial on October 19. Former President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the grave on Mashujaa Day, 2 days after delivering an emotional eulogy at the state funeral.

Other recent visitors include former Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo, Gideon Moi, Charlene Ruto, former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, and delegations from across the country.

Raila was laid to rest next to his family members. His hat and fly whisk were placed beside him, marking the close of a public life defined by political struggle and legal contest.