KERALA STATE, INDIA – Raila Odinga, the former Prime Minister of Kenya and a towering figure in African politics, has died at the age of 80 at a hospital in southern India.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!According to authorities at the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Ernakulam district, Kerala, Mr. Odinga suffered a fatal cardiac arrest around 9 a.m. during his morning walk on the hospital campus.
The veteran politician had been undergoing treatment at the Ayurvedic facility for the past five days and was accompanied by his daughter and his personal doctor at the time of his death.
Mr. Odinga’s connection to the hospital was deeply personal. His daughter, Rosemary Odinga, was treated there after losing her eyesight in 2017 due to optic nerve damage.
The former Prime Minister had publicly expressed gratitude to the hospital’s physicians for helping her regain vision after treatment began in 2019.
A prominent and often controversial force in Kenyan politics for decades, Odinga served as the country’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 under a power-sharing agreement. This followed a period of violent post-election turmoil.
He was the Member of Parliament for the Langata constituency for over two decades (1992-2013) and spent many years as the official Leader of the Opposition.
The hospital authorities stated that Mr. Odinga’s body would be embalmed, and that further procedures would be coordinated with India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the Kenyan Embassy in New Delhi, underscoring the international significance of his passing.
May his soul rest in peace.
About the Author
