By Admin
Former Prime Minister of Kenya died on Wednesday morning in Koothattukulam in Kerala’s Ernakulam district following a cardiac arrest during his daily morning walk, police and hospital authorities said.
Odinga, 80, collapsed during a morning walk within the premises of the Ayurvedic facility and was rushed to a Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Koothattukulam, where he was pronounced dead around 9.52 am, a spokesman for the eye hospital said.
Odinga had arrived in Koothattukulam six days ago, accompanied by his daughter and close family members.
He had been following a routine of morning walks and treatment sessions at the hospital.
His body is currently kept at the Deva Matha Hospital here, police said.
The spokesman said Odinga and his family had been visiting the hospital, which had earlier helped his daughter regain her vision.
A police officer said that information regarding Odinga’s death had been conveyed to the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office) for necessary procedures as per protocol.
Odinga was the son of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who served as Kenya’s first vice president in Jomo Kenyatta’s administration.
Considered political royalty in the East African nation, he was wildly popular among his supporters who heeded his calls en masse to demonstrate when he complained about vote rigging.
The electoral disputes repeatedly triggered ethnic tensions and violence, most notably in 2008, when more than 1,100 people died and about 350,000 were forced to flee their homes.
The United Nations and then-South African leader Thabo Mbeki mediated a truce that saw Odinga being appointed prime minister in a coalition government led by President Mwai Kibaki.
Odinga narrowly lost his fifth bid for the presidency to William Ruto in 2022. While the nation’s highest court upheld the election outcome, Odinga said he had proof the results had been tampered with and called a series of protests against the outcome and rising living costs. Dozens of people died in the ensuing unrest.
The two men later agreed to work together and members of Odinga’s party were appointed to the cabinet and other government posts.
Prison Terms
Raila Amolo Odinga was born on Jan. 7, 1945, in the western Kenyan town of Maseno.
Prior to going into politics, he studied engineering in Germany, lectured at the University of Nairobi and co-founded his own firm.
He was arrested in 1982 after being accused of participating in an attempted coup led by air force officers to oust President Daniel Arap Moi.
He spent six years in prison without trial and was detained twice subsequent to his release.
His final incarceration ended in 1991, the year Kenya’s constitution was amended to allow multiparty politics.
Odinga helped found the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy and was selected as a lawmaker for the Lang’ata constituency in the capital, Nairobi, in the 1992 election.
He first stood for the presidency in 1997 as the National Development Party’s candidate.
Four years later, he merged his party with Moi’s Kenya African National Union, was elected as its secretary-general and appointed energy minister.
Odinga parted ways with Kanu in 2002, after Moi backed Uhuru Kenyatta to succeed him as party leader, and teamed up with Kibaki, who had mounted a third presidential campaign.
Their coalition, the National Rainbow Alliance, won the vote, ending almost four decades of uninterrupted Kanu rule.
Kibaki named Odinga as his minister of roads and public works, but the two fell out in 2004 when Odinga accused the president of reneging on a power-sharing deal.
The Orange Democratic Movement nominated Odinga as its presidential candidate in 2007. It won 99 parliamentary seats, while Kibaki’s Party of National Unity won just 43.
Even so, the official results showed Kibaki won the presidential vote, an outcome that was tainted by allegations of rigging.
The widespread violence that ensued prevented Odinga from taking power and he had to settle for the post of prime minister, which he held for five years.
Odinga lost the presidential vote to Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013 and again in 2017. The Supreme Court annulled the outcome of the latter contest, citing widespread irregularities.
Odinga then boycotted the re-run, saying the conditions weren’t in place for a fair contest.
The two men later reconciled and Kenyatta backed Odinga’s 2022 presidential run, reneging on an undertaking to support Ruto, his then-deputy.
Ruto prevailed in the first round, however, and the result stood despite the opposition’s legal challenges and protests.
In February 2025, Odinga stood for election as head of the African Union’s executive arm, but lost the contest to Mahamoud Ali Youssouf from Djibouti.
Odinga married his wife Ida in 1973. They had four children.
