Orange Democratic Movement(ODM) leader Raila Amolo Odinga is dead.
Raila passed away at the age of 80 on Wednesday, October 15, after suffering a cardiac arrest.
The former Prime Minister collapsed during a morning walk at an Ayurvedic treatment facility in Kerala’s Ernakulam district and was rushed to a private hospital in Koothattukulam, where he was pronounced dead at 7:22 am.
The ODM leader's body is currently kept at the hospital.
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Raila’s death comes days after his brother Oburu Odinga revealed that he was seeking treatment abroad.
Oburu noted that Railal’s condition was not as serious, and he was recuperating well before returning to the country.
“I want to tell you that Raila is out and about and just like any other human being was disposed a little and he is recuperating and resting, but he was not in those conditions which have been reported in the press.
"He is in India, and he will be back soon. Our people should not be worried about that," said Oburu.
Migori Senator Eddy Oketch, in a statement, revealed that he spoke to Raila on Tuesday and was given a lot of instructions by the ODM leader.
“Yesterday you called me for 7mins: gave me a lot of instructions that I am still trying to make sense of. You told me to go on Ramogi TV, greet Onagi, and tell them to speak in one voice. You told me to tell them to remain united. I did not know you were saying goodbye,” said Oketch.
Raila is one of the longest-serving politicians in Kenyan history. Born in January 1945, Raila joined politics in the early 1980s and was among the politicians who strongly opposed former President Daniel Arap Moi.
In 1982, Raila was arrested because of his political activity and placed under house arrest for 7 months.
He was later charged with treason, but was instead detained without trial for six years. He was released in 1988 following Moi’s order.
1991, but fled the country for Norway the following November amid fears of another arrest.
Raila returned to the country in February 1992 and joined the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (Ford).
Raila was then elected as the Lang'ata Member of Parliament in 1992 on a Ford Kenya ticket. In the 1997 general election, Raila contested the presidency and finished third but retained his position as Lang'ata MP.
In 2002, Raila joined the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and teamed up with Mwai Kibaki to form the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), which emerged victorious.
However, he fell out with Kibaki, who contested for president in the 2007 election, which was followed by post-election violence.
Raila and Kibaki formed a grand coalition government following the violence, and Raila was named as the Prime Minister after the peace talks mediated by Kofi Annan.
In the 2013 and 2017 general elections, Raila unsuccessfully contested the presidential seat, losing both elections to Uhuru Kenyatta.
Raila ran for president again in 2022 but lost to President William Ruto.
In February 2025, the ODM leader vied for the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson seat but lost to Djibouti's Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.
The former Prime Minister leaves behind a widow and three children.
