Plane carrying Raila Odinga’s body becomes world’s most tracked

The plane carrying the Kenyan delegation dispatched to India on Wednesday evening to facilitate the repatriation of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s body to Nairobi became the world’s most tracked on Flightradar24.

Soon after its 6:30 p.m. take-off at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, the Kenya Airways passenger flight KQA202 to Mumbai was the second-most tracked globally on the popular live air traffic tracking service.

By midnight, it had become the most followed around the world, with over 7,000 people monitoring it.

The plane touched down in Mumbai at about 1 a.m. Thursday, East Africa Time (EAT), and took off for Nairobi shortly past 3:30 a.m. EAT. It was scheduled to touch down at JKIA at around 9:30 a.m.

At 7 a.m., Flightradar24’s data showed that the return flight KQA203 was being tracked by over 5,000 people.

KQ said in an 8 a.m. update that the flight name would be renamed to RAO001, a reference to Odinga’s name initials, once it reaches Kenya airspace “to honour and respect our departed leader.”

KQ203 will change to RAO001 as soon as we reach the Kenya Airspace at around 8:50 am to honor and respect our departed leader. ETA at JKIA is 09:30 am pic.twitter.com/sxuCDvrEDe

Odinga, 80, passed away after collapsing in the Indian city of Kochi, where he had been under treatment for an undisclosed illness.

President William Ruto has since announced a seven-day national mourning period, during which the Kenyan flag will be flown at half-mast in honour of the former Prime Minister.

The late Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader will be accorded a state funeral with all attendant honours.

Per the four-day state funeral programme released by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, President Ruto and members of Odinga’s family will receive his body upon arrival at JKIA on Thursday, then escort it to the Lee Funeral Home. 

From noon, it will be moved to the Parliament buildings in Nairobi for public viewing until 5 p.m.

A state funeral service is scheduled for Friday at Nairobi’s Nyayo Stadium, after which Odinga’s body will be moved to his Karen home for an overnight stay. 

It will be taken to Kisumu on Saturday morning for public viewing at the Moi Stadium, before travelling by road to Bondo for an overnight stay ahead of the Sunday interment in line with his dictates that he be buried within 72 hours of his death.