At Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya Airways’ operations team made a historic decision to change the flight callsign from KQ A203 to RAO001.
“The moment our son returns home, he cannot land as KQ. It has to be RAO001,” said William Mutuko, the man behind the move.
By the time the plane carrying Kenya’s most storied political figure approached Nairobi on Thursday morning, more than 35,000 people worldwide were tracking its descent on their phones and computers.
Flight KQA203, which had departed Mumbai before dawn, had become a global phenomenon on Flightradar24, the world’s most popular live aircraft-tracking site. When it crossed into Kenyan airspace at around 8:50 a.m., it was no longer just an ordinary Kenya Airways passenger plane it was RAO001, a symbolic callsign honoring Raila Amolo Odinga, the opposition leader whose life and struggles had defined Kenya’s democracy for over four decades.
“KQ203 will change to RAO001 as soon as we reach Kenyan airspace, to honor and respect our departed leader,” Kenya Airways announced on social media at dawn.
For a few minutes that morning, the world’s eyes followed a single dot on a digital map a bright yellow aircraft icon gliding across the Indian Ocean toward Nairobi.
The Flight That United a Nation in Mourning
The story of RAO001 began the previous evening at 6:30 p.m., when Kenya Airways flight KQ202 departed Nairobi for Mumbai. On board was a high-level Kenyan delegation dispatched to facilitate the repatriation of the former Prime Minister’s remains.
Within minutes of takeoff, aviation enthusiasts noticed an unusual spike in online activity around the flight. From under 1,000 viewers, the number of live trackers surged past 7,000, propelling the Boeing 737-800 to the second-most tracked flight globally.
By midnight, it had taken the top spot. The fascination stretched beyond Kenya from Europe to Asia to the U.S., diaspora communities and global journalists tuned in to watch the flight path from Nairobi to Mumbai in real time.
At 1:00 a.m. EAT, KQ202 landed at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Less than three hours later, at 3:30 a.m., the return journey began this time carrying the body of a man many considered the father of Kenya’s second liberation.
RAO001 A Flight Reborn in the Sky
As dawn broke over the Indian Ocean, Kenya Airways issued an emotional update: once the plane reached Kenyan airspace, it would adopt the special callsign RAO001.
In aviation, such call sign changes are rare typically reserved for heads of state or symbolic national moments. The decision transformed the flight from a logistical operation into a flying national monument, a vessel of collective grief and pride.
By 7:00 a.m., over 5,000 users were tracking the plane simultaneously. As it crossed the coast near Mombasa, that number skyrocketed. Flightradar24 later confirmed that by the time it neared Nairobi, more than 35,000 people were watching making it the most tracked flight in the world at that moment.
The renaming of KQ203 to RAO001 carried meaning beyond aviation it represented unity.
“It’s like we were all flying home with him,” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter). “You didn’t have to support him to understand what this flight meant.”
A Nation Awaits
At Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), preparations had begun long before sunrise. Security was heightened, with police and military officers at every checkpoint. Senior government officials, Raila’s family members, party leaders, and clergy gathered at the VIP pavilion, awaiting RAO001.
Outside the airport, thousands of Kenyans lined up along Mombasa Road, waving flags, holding portraits, and singing liberation songs. The atmosphere was heavy grief intertwined with pride.
At 9:28 a.m., the aircraft appeared on the horizon. As it descended toward Runway 06, the crowd erupted in chants of “Baba! Baba! Baba!” the affectionate name Kenyans gave Raila Odinga. When the wheels touched down, applause swept through the crowd.
A Flight Like No Other
The attention around RAO001 also highlighted a new global culture of digital mourning, where people connect through technology to share moments of loss and remembrance.
Flightradar24 the Swedish-based platform that tracks over 200,000 flights daily confirmed that RAO001 briefly topped its global charts, surpassing aviation giants like Emirates, Lufthansa, and Delta.
The moment echoed global farewells like Queen Elizabeth II’s final flight from Edinburgh to London in 2022, which became the most tracked flight in history with over 5 million viewers.
For Kenya Airways, the gesture was more than corporate it was national.“The Pride of Africa,” KQ had carried a man who, for many, personified the continent’s fight for justice and democracy.
The Man Behind the Call Sign
Born in 1945 in Maseno, Raila Amolo Odinga was no stranger to turbulence political or personal. The son of Kenya’s first Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Raila spent much of his early life behind bars, accused of treason after the 1982 coup attempt.
Yet over the decades, he evolved from a symbol of resistance to a statesman whose influence transcended generations. His push for reform and constitutional change helped shape today’s Kenya multiparty, rights-driven, and politically vibrant.
Raila’s career spanned six presidential elections, numerous coalitions, and an enduring connection with the people. Renaming his final flight RAO001 was Kenya’s way of escorting its son home with dignity.
Digital Tributes and Global Attention
Across social media, #RAO001 trended globally for hours. Kenyans in the diaspora streamed Flightradar24, posting screenshots of the plane’s movement, while local TV stations aired split-screen coverage the live radar on one side, the JKIA runway on the other.
“When we couldn’t all be at JKIA, we turned to our phones. Watching that small yellow icon move across the ocean felt spiritual,” one mourner shared.
Final Descent
At 9:30 a.m., RAO001 arrived to a halt at JKIA’s VIP terminal. As the aircraft door opened, the Kenyan flag-draped coffin emerged, carried by Kenya Air Force pallbearers. President William Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and other dignitaries stood side by side.
A brief silence followed, broken only by the low hum of the engines. The crowd fell quiet as the national anthem played.
For those watching online, the yellow dot on Flightradar24 dimmed RAO001 was marked “landed.” It was more than the end of a flight; it was the closing chapter of an era.
A Nation Reflects
As the coffin was placed in a military hearse, a spontaneous chant rose:
“Safari njema, Baba… Baba biro yaune yo” safe journey, Father, open the way for him.”
In that moment, the physical and digital worlds blurred. From the tarmac to timelines, grief flowed seamlessly proof that even in death, Raila Odinga remained a unifying figure.
RAO001 was not just a plane. It was Baba coming home one last time, on his final flight.
Farewell, Jakom.
