Captain Saviamaria Ondego of Kenya Airways has opened up on
transporting the body of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga from Mumbai,
India, to Nairobi.
According to her, it was a surreal moment despite it being a
scheduled flight for them.
She noted that it also came with a sense of responsibility
to the country.
“It was a surreal experience. Every day is not a normal day
in our job, and just like any flight, we woke up just to fly our roster, but there
was the heaviness and the responsibility to our country that made it not a
normal flight,” Saviamaria said in a video seen by The Star.
The Captain narrated how she struggled announcing the
arrival of Raila to the people on board, but had to gather the courage to do it
because of how important it was.
“I went to speak and nothing came out, and I had to come off
the speaker, take a deep breath and then try again. My voice was a little shaky, but it was important to me, and somehow the words flowed.”
The former Prime Minister’s body arrived in Nairobi on Thursday
morning from India, where he died while undergoing treatment.
He suffered a cardiac arrest.
Jason Mose, and Inflight performance manager, who accompanied
the team to India to bring back Raila’s body, said that it was both emotional
and overwhelming.
He went on to say that it was also an honour for him to be picked
as the one to ensure everything was in order as the former PM’s body was being
flown back to the country.
“It was both emotional and overwhelming as an individual, but
I knew that I had to go because I was representing Kenya Airways and the
country, and it was an honour for me to be mandated by the company to go and
accompany the flight and make sure all protocols are observed and Raila Odinga
is brought safely home,” Mose said.
Saviamaria and Mose condoled with the Odinga family and the
people of Kenya as they go through this difficult time. They also prayed for
God’s comfort to the family.
The former Prime Minister’s burial is set for Sunday,
October 19, 2025.
The burial, according to his brother Oburu Oginga, will be
held in private with only very few people allowed to participate.
President William Ruto announced that he would be given a
state funeral with full military honours.
He also announced seven days of national mourning, where the
national flag would fly at half-mast.
