By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has died at the age of 80 while receiving treatment in Kerala, India.
Odinga passed away on Wednesday morning at the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Koothattukulam, located in the Ernakulam district of Kerala.
According to reports, he suffered a cardiac failure during his morning walk on the hospital campus around 9 a.m.
Despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
Odinga had been receiving Ayurvedic treatment at the facility for the past five days.
Sources at the hospital confirmed that he was accompanied by his daughter and personal doctor during his stay.
A veteran opposition leader, he was a central figure in the country’s struggle for democracy and reform.
Over his decades-long career, Odinga contested five presidential elections but never succeeded in ascending to the presidency.
Despite these defeats, his political influence remained significant.
Two of his electoral losses in 2007 and 2017 sparked waves of unrest that reshaped Kenya’s political landscape.
Odinga’s legacy is deeply tied to Kenya’s democratic evolution.
He played a key role in the introduction of multiparty democracy in 1991 and was instrumental in pushing for the adoption of the 2010 constitution, which ushered in a new era of governance in the country.
Throughout his political life, he was known as a symbol of resistance, resilience, and reform — traits that earned him widespread respect across the African continent.
Following news of his passing, tributes began to pour in from across Kenya and beyond.
Political leaders, activists, and citizens hailed Odinga as a “true patriot and a champion of democracy whose impact will be felt for generations to come.