Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is dead

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is dead. 

Odinga died aged 80 in India after suffering a cardiac arrest during a morning walk at an Ayurvedic hospital in Koothattukulam, Kerala, his family confirmed on Wednesday, October 15. 

Odinga had been receiving treatment at Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre, accompanied by his daughter and personal doctor. 
The Standard has established that he had been on bed rest and battling several bacterial infections. He collapsed on the hospital campus and was rushed to Devamatha Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 9 am. 

Odinga served as Kenya’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 and led the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). 

He contested the presidency five times, in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022, without success.

Odinga’s political journey began with nearly nine years of detention without trial under the regime of former President Daniel arap Moi from 1982 to 1991, accused of involvement in a failed coup.

His imprisonment became a rallying point for Kenya’s pro-democracy movement and helped propel the country toward multiparty democracy in the early 1990s

He played a key role in constitutional reforms, leading the “No” campaign in the 2005 referendum that birthed ODM and contributing to the passage of the 2010 Constitution, which introduced devolved government and a new Bill of Rights. 

In March 2018, he surprised the nation by entering a political truce with former President Uhuru Kenyatta, known as “The Handshake,” which led to the Building Bridges Initiative, later struck down by the courts

Odinga also held continental influence, appointed African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development in 2018, championing transcontinental rail and energy projects.
 He frequently mediated regional conflicts, including in South Sudan and the Horn of Africa
Son of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenya’s first Vice President, Raila came from a political dynasty. 

His brother Oburu Odinga and daughter Winnie Odinga have held political roles, with Winnie elected to the East African Legislative Assembly in 2022. 

Odinga studied mechanical engineering in East Germany at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, and his socialist leanings and pan-African rhetoric were shaped by Cold War-era politics and his father’s legacy

News of Odinga’s death spread rapidly on Twitter, with Kenyans, journalists and political leaders sharing tributes, memories and reflections.
 Hashtags like #RIPRaila, #BabaForever and #RailaOdinga began trending within hours.
Earlier in October, false death rumours circulated on social media, prompting family members to clarify that Odinga was in good health and recovering in India.