The burial of Kenya’s late Chief of the Defense Forces, General Francis Omondi Ogolla, has taken place today at his rural home at Ng’iya village, Siaya County.
The burial was preceded by a Christian service held at Barrack Obama Primary School at the neighboring village of Kogelo. The service was presided over by the Anglican Church.
Afterwards, Lieutenant General Kahariri led President William Ruto into the late general’s home, to join the group of mourners that the compound could accommodate.
General Ogolla’s family, very close friends, and the military, were able to witness the military honors given to the late general, as per military protocol. The late general received a 19-gun military salute.
General Ogolla’s Burial Wishes, according to his Son, Rabuku Omondi
Yesterday, April 20th, General Ogolla’s son, Joel Rabuku Omondi, underlined his father’s preference for simplicity.
In his address during the military service at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, Rabuku disclosed that the coffin his father’s body lay in was very cheap. He estimated its cost to be around $45 or thereabouts.
Rabuku explained that his father was averse to elaborate spending on final rites.
According to the young Omondi, his father also preferred that when he died, his body reverted to soil as fast as was naturally possible. In this regard, it was General Ogolla’s wish that his body be laid to rest wrapped in a simple cloth.
The part about the dead body turning into soil was in reference to a verse in the Christian Holy Bible: Ecclesiastes 3:20. Quote: “All are from the dust, and to dust all return.”
Once General Ogolla’s body was respectfully laid to rest, his military ornaments and the Kenya Defense Forces flag he used while in office were handed over to the family, according to military protocol.
That handover marked the end of General Francis Omondi Ogolla’s final send-off, what the Kenyan media empathetically referred to as the general’s “Final flight”.