President William Ruto has announced plans to construct a major Raila Odinga Memorial Library, Museum and Research Centre at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Ruto announced on Wednesday, October 7, saying the facility would be the second phase of the Raila Odinga Mausoleum and would turn the site into a centre for historical learning.

"This mausoleum will not be a silent place. It will be a living puzzle. We have just completed the first phase. In the next phase, we will build the Raila Memorial Library, Museum, and Research Centre," Ruto said.

He said the mega library would attract hundreds of people , including young Kenyans and visitors from across Africa seeking to learn about the country's political history.

📌 What You Need to Know

"Young Kenyans and visitors from across Africa will come here to learn what courage looks like. This site will become a major heritage destination," he added.

According to the President, the facility would contribute to the local economy by creating jobs and generating income for residents of Siaya and the wider western Kenya region.

“We will turn the heritage that Jaramogi and Raila left us into a hub of historical knowledge, into jobs and incomes for the people of Siaya and the wider region,” Ruto revealed.

Ruto spoke after commissioning the Raila Odinga Mausoleum at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi, where the late former Prime Minister was laid to rest alongside his late father, former Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

Raila's mausoleum is located about eight metres from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s mausoleum and features a paved walkway, landscaped buffer, new gates, signage and curved pathways leading to the main structure.

The mausoleum's construction began on July 20 after the Odinga family handed over the ancestral site to the government, with the Ministry of Defence overseeing the project.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke