Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga Dies at 80

 

Former Prime Minister and ODM party leader Raila Odinga. 

Kenya is mourning the loss of one of its most iconic political figures, Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga, who has died at the age of 80 while receiving treatment in India.

According to reports, the former Prime Minister collapsed during a morning walk at the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Kochi, where he had been undergoing medical care. He was accompanied by his sister, daughter, personal doctor, and security officers at the time of the incident. Efforts to revive him at a nearby private hospital were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead shortly after 8:00 a.m. local time.

Born on January 7, 1945, in Maseno, Raila Odinga was the son of Kenya’s first Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Mary Juma Odinga. He dedicated over five decades of his life to public service, democracy, and social justice a journey that shaped Kenya’s political landscape for generations.

Odinga’s political career was marked by resilience and reform. He was detained several times during the struggle for multi-party democracy and later served as Member of Parliament for Langata from 1992 to 2013. Following the disputed 2007 elections, he became Kenya’s second Prime Minister, serving alongside President Mwai Kibaki in the Grand Coalition Government from 2008 to 2013.

Over the years, Raila Odinga ran for the presidency multiple times in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022 each campaign leaving a lasting imprint on Kenya’s political evolution. Beyond politics, he was a passionate advocate for unity, constitutional reform, and Pan-Africanism.

In recent weeks, speculation about his health had circulated online, though family members assured the public that he was “recuperating and resting” in India. His death now ends an era that defined the struggle for democracy and opposition politics in Kenya.

Messages of condolence have begun to pour in from across the country and around the world, with leaders describing him as a visionary, freedom fighter, and true son of Africa.

As the nation comes to terms with his passing, arrangements for the return of his body and official funeral plans are expected to be announced by the family and government in the coming days.
Reporting by: Babz Abdul Raheem N.
Date: October 15, 2025