Breaking: Raila Odinga, Kenya’s Political Icon Dies At 80

By Frank Kamuntu

Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga has died in India after suffering a cardiac arrest during his routine morning walk on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.

Odinga, 80, reportedly collapsed within the premises of the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Koothattukulam, Kerala’s Ernakulam district, where he had been receiving Ayurvedic treatment.

He was immediately rushed to the hospital, but doctors pronounced him dead at around 9:52 a.m. (Indian time), according to a hospital spokesperson.

Sources at the facility said Odinga had been in India for six days, accompanied by his daughter and close family members. The family had previously visited the same hospital, which had successfully treated his daughter’s eye condition.

Police confirmed that his body has been transferred to Deva Matha Hospital in Koothattukulam, and that information regarding his death has been formally communicated to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for official procedures.

Odinga, a towering figure in Kenyan politics, served as the country’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 under the Grand Coalition Government following the 2007–08 post-election violence. His leadership during that turbulent period was instrumental in steering Kenya toward national reconciliation and constitutional reform.

A veteran opposition leader and the head of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Odinga was known for his passionate advocacy for democracy, governance reforms, and social justice. Over the decades, he remained one of Kenya’s most influential and polarizing political figures, contesting multiple presidential elections and shaping the trajectory of modern Kenyan politics.

Tributes are already pouring in from across the world, celebrating Odinga’s legacy as a champion of democracy, dialogue, and reform.