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| ODM leader Raila Odinga |
Former Kenyan Prime Minister and ODM leader Raila Amolo Odinga has died following a cardiac arrest while receiving treatment in India.
Reports indicate that Odinga collapsed during a morning walk within the premises of Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Center in Ernakulam District.
He was rushed to a private hospital in Koothattukulam, where doctors pronounced him dead at 9:53 a.m. Indian time (7:23 a.m. Nairobi time).
A statement from the hospital confirmed that Odinga was brought in unresponsive and that all resuscitation efforts failed.
“He was brought in unresponsive, and despite our best efforts, we could not revive him,” the hospital spokesperson said during a press briefing.
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| Raila Odinga |
His body is currently preserved at the facility as officials from the Kenyan Embassy in New Delhi and India’s Ministry of External Affairs coordinate repatriation procedures.
Odinga had been in India for medical treatment and was accompanied by his daughter, relatives and personal doctor.
He had previously been linked to the Ayurvedic facility, where his daughter Rosemary Odinga received treatment in 2017 following optic nerve damage that temporarily affected her vision.
His elder brother, Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga, confirmed Odinga’s medical visit to India earlier this month, noting that he was recuperating from a minor illness.
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| Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga |
On October 10, Oburu dismissed rumours about Raila’s deteriorating health, stating that he was resting and recovering well.
“I want to take this opportunity to clarify that there have been a lot of rumours about our party leader, Raila Odinga - that he is very sick, that he is almost dying,” Oburu said on October 10. “But I want to tell you that he is out and about, and he was only indisposed a little and is now recuperating and resting.”
At the same time, Migori Senator Eddy Oketch said he spoke to the ODM leader on Tuesday, October 14, just a day before his death.
“Yesterday you called me for seven minutes and gave me a lot of instructions that I am still trying to make sense of,” Oketch said. “You told me to tell our people to remain united. I did not know you were saying goodbye.”
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| Raila Odinga and Migori Senator Eddy Oketch |
Raila Odinga was born in January 1945 and became one of Kenya’s most influential politicians. He joined politics in the 1980s and was detained for six years without trial following the 1982 coup attempt.
He later served as Member of Parliament for Lang’ata from 1992 to 2013 and as Prime Minister between 2008 and 2013 in a coalition government with President Mwai Kibaki.
Odinga contested the presidency five times and in 2025 vied for the African Union Commission Chairperson position, losing to Djibouti’s Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.
Raila Odinga leaves behind his wife, Ida Odinga, and three children.
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| Raila Odinga and his wife Ida Odinga |
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