Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has died while receiving treatment in India, officials have confirmed. He was one of Kenya’s most prominent political figures.
Indian authorities said Odinga was walking normally at an Ayurvedic medical facility with family members and his personal doctor “when he suddenly collapsed.”
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 9:53 a.m. Indian Time on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. His body will be moved to the Government Medical College Hospital for a postmortem examination.
Odinga sparked controversy weeks ago when it emerged that he was in India, as speculation about his health took center stage. Family members and political allies had dismissed reports that he was critically ill.
Key politicians and leaders, among them Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of IGAD, have shared their condolences, hailing the former PM as a “political enigma” and a true nationalist.
“Africa mourns the loss of one of its most iconic sons. An unwavering Pan-Africanist, he dedicated his life to the pursuit of democracy, justice, and unity. His lifelong struggle for freedom and equality inspired generations across Kenya and beyond, reminding us that leadership is not about power, but about service and sacrifice,” said Dr. Gebeyehu.
Kakamega Senator Bonni Khalwale wrote on the X platform:
“I join the Jaramogi family, the ODM party, the Luo Nation, friends, relatives, and the rest of the Kenyan Nation in mourning. I also join them in celebrating the outstanding life of a political giant, a great man. Fare thee well, Tinga.”
In the 1990s, Odinga was already a political firebrand, leading a liberation movement that successfully pushed for a return to multiparty democracy after years of single-party rule under the late President Daniel arap Moi.
Born on January 7, 1945, in Maseno, Odinga carved out the image of a true nationalist, with a political career defined not only by democracy and activism but also by several periods of detention. He was the son of Mary Juma Odinga and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenya’s first Vice President under President Jomo Kenyatta.
Odinga was arrested and charged with treason after being accused of involvement in the 1982 coup attempt to overthrow the government of then-President Moi. He was released six years later, in February 1988, but detained again in August of the same year, only to be released in June 1989.
He will also be remembered as a long-standing opposition leader, one who lost all five of his presidential campaigns. The memory of the 2007 election loss, which triggered violence and death across the country, still lingers. But that, as many say, is now water under the bridge.
The 2005 constitutional referendum campaign birthed the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Raila led the “No” campaign, opposing the proposed constitution supported by then-President Mwai Kibaki. The draft was ultimately rejected, and the ODM became a political force.
Ironically, the proposed constitution that Raila opposed in 2005 had included the position of Prime Minister — a role he would later occupy following the 2007 post-election crisis.
As the curtain falls on this post-independence leader — just two years before the next elections — one thing is clear: Kenya’s political landscape is once again poised for significant shifts.
