10 Hours Jaramogi Oginga Mausoleum

Jaramogi Oginga Mausoleum – Historically, he is the father of opposition. Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, born in the second decade of this century, devoted his life to the service of this great nation Kenya and the people of Africa.

As a teacher, leader, political leader, and Pan-Africanist, he showed, both by his words and by the example of his life, the way forward, to truth, peace, and to justice.

He strove for excellence in all things and never compromised his principles and ideals. His commitment to integrity, and his courageous determination to stand firm in defense of what he knew was right, guided his life. His outpouring of sympathy for the poor and disadvantaged in society was immeasurable. During his lifetime, he was a benefactor to many orphans and other disadvantaged Kenyans.

He had the highest respect for education and academic achievement. In honor of this great man, the Jaramogi Foundation continues with his life’s work and espouses the universal values of social justice, respect for human rights, the pursuit of peace and unity, and support for people-centered development.

Jaramogi Mausoleum is an iconic place located deep in Bondo sub-county, Siaya County, in Kang’o Ka Jaramogi. From the outside, one can easily dismiss it as another ordinary building. However, in this building – there is more than meets the eye. The Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Mausoleum is a place that has extremely valuable information that tells the rich history of Kenya.

Jaramogi was Kenya’s first Vice-President, a man whose name crops up whenever Kenya’s political story unfolds. The site is not only home to the rich legacy of the independence hero, but could also be described as a tribute to the Luo people beyond Kenya’s border.

An excursion to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Mausoleum for many years has remained so dear to the opposition chief Raila Odinga that he personally takes all his important visitors on a guided tour of the place.

A tour of the mausoleum lasts more than one hour as your guide explains in detail the pictures that captured key moments in Kenya’s history. The museum and monument serve as a cultural center, a historical and national monument of great importance. Here one will see stuffed animals and other Luo cultural equipment and learn about famous traditional medicine men of the Luo community have ever had. 

After learning so much from Kang’o Ka Jaramogi, we will drive back to Kisumu stopping at Kit Mikayi, a big rock that is located on our way to Kisumu. Kit Mikayi is said to be the place where the mother of all the Luo community (Mikayi) rested after a long journey from the Nile. The massive rocks appear as huge columns that are piled together into huge columns that seem to defy the nature of gravity.

The Luo Shrine just out of the bustling lakeside city, life lies Kenya’s most dramatic cultural site, a vast granite rock tower called Kit Mikayi. The rock, which is about 80 feet tall, is located 30 kilometres to the west of Kisumu city.

While doing the activity we get to learn more about the myth behind Kit Mikayi which in Luo dialect means “the stone of the first wife” is a: Long time ago, there was an old man by the name Ngeso who was in great love with the stone.

Daily, Ngeso would wake up in the morning, walk into the cave inside the stone and spend the whole day there. This would force his wife to bring him breakfast and lunch on a daily basis. Having fallen passionately in love with this stone to the extent that people would ask the wife his whereabouts, she could answer that he has gone to his first wife (Mikayi) hence the stone of the first wife (Kit Mikayi).

To the Luo tribe, the explanation about the rock takes a slightly different twist. The rock’s features and components represent the Luo cultural polygamous family which had the first wife’s house (Mikayi) built further in between on the right-hand side was the second wife’s house (Nyachira) while the third wife’s house (Reru) was built on the left side of the homestead. After dancing with the women cultural dancers, we will drive back to Kisumu where our day trip ends.