Kenyan veteran politician and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has died in a hospital in the district of Kerela, India at the age of 80.
According to information available on multiple news platforms confirmed by sources in Nairobi, Kenya, Odinga died of cardiac arrest on Wednesday Ocotber 15, 2025.
Odinga has been in India receiving treatment at an Ayurvedic eye hospital at Koothattukulam in Ernakulam district of Kerala. He reportedly suffered cardiac failure while doing his morning walk on the hospital campus.
Odinga, has been a key figure in Kenyan politics for more than 30 years and made five unsuccessful attempts at the presidency, always alleging that he was cheated of victory in every instance.
Odinga was the son of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who served as Kenya’s first vice president for Jomo Kenyatta.
Odinga had a large support base and each time he was involved in electoral disputes, his supporters would protest, leading to ethnic tensions and violence. The most notable was in 2008. The electoral dispute that year triggered violence leading to the killing of more than 1,100 people with about 350,000 forced to flee their homes.
After losing the 2017 elections to Uhuru Kenyatta, Odinga disputed the results and went on to hold a private ceremony where he swore himself in as ‘the people’s president’.
In 2022, Odinga narrowly missed the presidency to William Ruto in his fifth attempt in 2022. Even though the Kenya Supreme Court upheld the election results in favour of Ruto, Odinga disputed it, claiming he has proof the results had been manipulated and called for a series of protests. Dozens of people died in that protest as well.
Odinga was seen as an enigmatic figure by many Kenyans, and it is believed that his death would change the dynamics of Kenya politics.
By Emmanuel K Dogbevi
Source: ghanabusinessnews.com
