Junet breaks silence on why he didn’t travel to India to repatriate Raila's body

Suna East Member of Parliament Junet Mohamed has sought to explain why he did not travel to India to help bring back the body of the late former Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga following the news of his death on October 15, 2025.

Speaking on Citizen TV’s JKLive show on Wednesday, Junet said he was unwell and undergoing medical procedures at the time of Raila’s death.

He stated that he had just been discharged from hospital when Raila left the country, adding that he was still not in good health when the former Prime Minister died and so could not make the trip.

The outspoken legislator went ahead to dismiss claims questioning his absence from the delegation as false and malicious.

“Honestly, and my records are there, I was unwell. In fact, the Thursday I was discharged from hospital, is the day I met Baba at Serena Hotel. I don’t know whether you remember there was a small meeting he called at Serena Hotel. I was from Nairobi West Hospital that day, I went straight to Serena,” Junet said.

“On Friday is when he travelled, in the evening, and then he passed on 15th (October 2025). I was in the team that was supposed to go, but I was still not feeling well. I had a procedure, actually, and the records are there.”

Junet also used the interview to push back against criticism from political rivals, saying some individuals were deliberately spreading misinformation about his absence.

Raila Odinga died while receiving treatment in India, triggering a period of national mourning and the formation of a delegation to coordinate the repatriation of his body and burial arrangements.

A delegation of more than 30 Kenyan leaders led by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, and comprising senior government officials, politicians and members of Raila’s family, departed for India the same evening of the former premier’s death.

The team included Cabinet Secretaries Kipchumba Murkomen (Interior), Hassan Joho (Mining), Salim Mvurya (Sports), William Kabogo (ICT), Governors Johnson Sakaja (Nairobi), Ochillo Ayacko (Migori), Gideon Mung’aro (Kilifi), and Senators Eddy Oketch (Migori) as well as Edwin Sifuna (Nairobi) among others.

National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, Health Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga were also part of the government delegation.