UAE leaders condole with Kenyan President over death of former PM Raila Odinga

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of condolences to Dr William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, on the death of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, sent similar messages to President Ruto.

Presidents and representatives of African heads of state joined thousands of mourners at a state funeral service on Friday for Odinga.

Odinga, 80, died from a suspected heart attack at a health clinic in southern India on Wednesday, triggering a huge outpouring of grief for a man known affectionately as "Baba" (father) by many Kenyans.

"He walked among us as a man but also charged among us as a movement for change, a movement for justice... for a better and greater Kenya," President William Ruto told the crowd, gathered at Nairobi's Nyayo stadium for the funeral.

Mourners view the body of Raila Odinga during his funeral service, at Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi, on Friday. Reuters

Keyans have turned out in large numbers to mourn Odinga since his death on Wednesday, reflecting the outsized influence the respected statesman had on political life in the East African country.

Thousands filled a soccer stadium where Odinga's casket was covered in the national flag for an Anglican Church service in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

They chanted and held up portraits of Odinga, while some carried twigs, a symbol of peace and unity in Kenyan tradition. There was heavy security at the stadium after three people died during Thursday's public viewing at a different stadium.

WAM / AFP