Kenya Airways has increased flight frequency to Kisumu over the weekend to accommodate the growing number of travellers heading to the lakeside city for the funeral of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
In a statement shared on Friday morning, the national carrier announced that it had introduced additional flights and aircraft upgrades on the Nairobi–Kisumu route to meet the surge in passenger demand.
The airline added two extra flights — KQ656 departing at 1:30 PM and KQ658 at 7:00 PM on Friday.
For Saturday, October 18, flight KQ650 at 6:50 AM has been introduced, while KQ654 at 8:05 AM has been upgraded to a Boeing 737 to accommodate more passengers.
The airline further announced that on Sunday, October 19, both KQ654 (8:05 AM) and KQ671 (7:00 PM) will operate using Boeing 737 aircraft. On Monday, flights KQ654 and KQ670 will also be upgraded to the larger Boeing model.
“We’ve increased our flight frequency to Kisumu over the weekend to accommodate the high travel demand… We remain committed to ensuring seamless travel for all our guests,” Kenya Airways stated.
Earlier, Kenya Airways reported that most of its flights to Kisumu were fully booked. The airline’s fares now starting from Ksh 19,400.
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Full Programme for Raila Odinga’s Send-Off
The following is how the weekend is expected to unfold ahead of Raila Odinga’s burial.
Friday
8:00 am – A State funeral service is held at the Nyayo Stadium, which is expected to be attended by dignitaries and VVIPs from outside Kenya.
After the event, the body is moved to Raila’s Karen home for an overnight stay.
Sartuday
9:00 am – 3:00 pm – The body leaves Nairobi for Kisumu for public viewing at the Moi Stadium.
Afterwards, the body travels by road from Kisumu to Bondo for an overnight stay.
Sunday
Burial to be conducted according to the traditions of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK).
Also Read: How to Book a Kenya Airways Flight Online
Kenya Airways Flies Raila Odinga’s Body from India to Kenya
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s body arrived in Nairobi on Thursday morning aboard a Kenya Airways flight from India.
The aircraft, flight KQ203, touched down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at around 9:40 a.m., carrying the late leader’s remains, his family, and a delegation of 30 Kenyan leaders.
The journey drew global attention, with the plane to Nairobi becoming the most tracked flight in the world on Flightradar24, while its outbound flight, KQA202 to Mumbai, ranked as the second-most tracked globally on the live air traffic monitoring platform.
Additionally, Kenya Airways announced that the flight number would be renamed from KQ203 to RAO001 upon entering Kenyan airspace, a symbolic gesture to honour and respect Raila Odinga, one of the country’s most influential political figures.
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