Former nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has faulted Parliament for conducting its sitting while the public viewing of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is ongoing.

In a statement shared on her social media pages on Thursday, October 16, 2025, Orwoba, who has been critical of the Kenyan Parliament ever since her expulsion, said that the Speaker should have suspended the sittings so that all attention could be directed to Kasarani, where the public viewing is taking place.

She questioned why Parliament is in session at such a moment when the nation is celebrating the life of Raila Odinga and holding the public viewing at Kasarani.

“But why exactly is parliament in session at this very moment? Right now, this very moment, we are celebrating the life of Raila Odinga and having a public viewing at Kasarani. Orwoba stated.

This comes a day after the National Assembly Speaker adjourned Wednesday’s sitting and set Thursday, October 16, 2025, as the day when Members of Parliament would pay tribute to Raila Odinga, who served in Parliament for over four terms as the Member for Kibra Constituency.

The sittings were scheduled to run from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and then extend until 10:00 p.m. to allow each MP an opportunity to convey their condolences to the late former Prime Minister, who played a significant role in shaping the careers of many legislators.

Change of venue

This follows the cancellation of the planned public viewing in Parliament, which was moved to Kasarani Sports Centre after Raila’s supporters overwhelmed the parliamentary precincts, making the situation uncontrollable.

The state was therefore forced to shift the event to the 60,000-capacity Kasarani Stadium.

This move by the government was welcomed by lawmakers allied to Raila Odinga, saying that the parliament is too small for Raila Odinga.

The body of Raila Odinga has already arrived at Kasarani, where thousands of his supporters have thronged the venue, causing disruptions as they struggle to catch a glimpse of his remains.

Military police have been forced to fire tear gas to disperse the irate crowd after the situation became uncontrollable.