NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 7 – The unusual pentagonal shape of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s mausoleum at Kango ka Jaramogi in Bondo was deliberately chosen to reflect a key symbol associated with his political life.

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The Kenya Defence Forces officers involved in guiding President William Ruto and other dignitaries through the facility during its handover to the Odinga family have explained the thinking behind the design.

Samson Malaki said the five-sided structure draws inspiration from the raised fist that became one of the most recognisable gestures associated with Odinga.

According to Malaki, the fist was not intended as a gesture of confrontation, but as a symbol of strength and a call for Kenyans to come together.

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He said the five fingers of the raised hand informed the decision to adopt a pentagonal form for the mausoleum.

“In as much as he was raising that particular fist, he wasn’t raising that fist in defiance, but he was raising that fist to call people to unity. It is five, which represents a pentagon, and it’s actually what informed the design of this mausoleum,” Malaki explained.

The design also establishes a visual connection between Raila’s final resting place and that of his father, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

While Jaramogi’s mausoleum has six sides, the structure housing Raila’s remains has five. Mr Malaki said the architects deliberately worked with the two geometric forms to create a sense of continuity between the neighbouring structures.

“The Jaramogi Mausoleum is actually hexagonal in shape. The Raila Mausoleum is pentagonal in shape. And for the purposes of that architectural harmony, we tried to play around with the geometry of Jaramogi Mausoleum, which is hexagonal, and we came up with the Raila Mausoleum, which is pentagonal,” he said.

The explanation adds a political dimension to what might otherwise appear to be an architectural choice.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya