Raila Odinga dies at 80: Kenya mourns a political giant

Kenyan politics and the nation at large are reeling after the confirmed passing of veteran politician and former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga.

The former prime minister died on Wednesday while in Kochi, India, reportedly following a cardiac arrest.

According to multiple sources, Odinga collapsed during a morning walk at an Ayurvedic treatment facility in Koothattukulam, Kerala, then was rushed to Devamatha Hospital (also referenced as Deva Matha or Sreedhareeyam Hospital), where he was declared dead.

His body is reported to remain at the hospital, pending arrangements for repatriation.

Raila Odinga, born January 7, 1945, in Maseno, Kenya, was one of the most enduring figures in his country’s modern political history. Over a career spanning decades, he became synonymous with the fight for democracy, electoral reform and social justice in Kenya.

He held the post of Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013, during a power-sharing government formed after the violent 2007–2008 electoral crisis. Odinga contested the presidency five times (in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022, though he never won the top office.

His political journey was marked by both fierce opposition and reconciliation. He was a central voice in pushing for multiparty democracy in the early 1990s, frequently clashed with entrenched political powers and led mass protests following electoral disputes.

In the days leading to his death, Odinga’s absence from public view had sparked intense speculation about his health. False rumours of his death circulated online and a manipulated video purportedly showing him denying such rumors was debunked by fact-checkers.

His family and political party consistently sought to dispel the rumors. His brother, Oburu Odinga, had confirmed that Raila was recuperating in India after a brief illness and was on the mend.

On the day he died, reports indicate that he collapsed during his regular morning walk around 6:30-7:00 a.m. local time and was transported to hospital, where medical staff were unable to resuscitate him.