Raila Odinga, a monumental figure in Kenyan politics, has passed away at the age of 80 while visiting India. A former Prime Minister, Odinga was a five-time presidential candidate who championed multiparty democracy throughout his illustrious career.
He was a driving force behind Kenya’s democratic transition in the 1990s, enduring multiple periods of detention without trial. Odinga deftly navigated roles both within and outside government, serving as a minister and a leading opposition voice for decades.
Tributes have been pouring in from African leaders. Kenya’s President William Ruto announced Odinga’s death in a televised address, declaring seven days of national mourning and confirming a state funeral. President Ruto hailed Odinga as a “colossus of Kenya’s modern politics” and an “indomitable warrior” in the nation’s fight for freedom and prosperity.
“In his passing, we have lost a patriot of uncommon courage,” Ruto stated, acknowledging Odinga as a pan-Africanist who embodied “principled politics.”
Odinga’s demise creates a significant vacuum in Kenyan politics. His consistent role as the chief challenger to successive administrations means his absence could, in the short term, bolster President Ruto, his former political rival, ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to a statement from Devamatha Hospital in Kerala, southern India, Odinga collapsed during a morning walk on Wednesday and later died. He had been receiving treatment at an ayurvedic hospital for five days prior. Doctors performed CPR before transferring him to Devamatha, where he was pronounced dead approximately two hours later.
The hospital confirmed that Odinga had been battling diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. A post-mortem examination is currently underway.
John Githongo, a prominent anti-corruption activist who supported Odinga’s 2022 presidential bid, described him as “by far the most consequential political actor in Kenya over the last 30 years.” Githongo noted that for a long time, Raila was “the center of gravity in Kenya’s particular brand of often brutal elite politics.”
His passing is anticipated to trigger “major realignments with quite a bit of head-spinning developments” within Kenya’s political landscape, Githongo added.
In Kisumu, a city in western Kenya and Odinga’s political heartland, thousands of people flooded the streets. Many residents of his Luo ethnic group expressed their grief by waving tree branches, blowing whistles, and honking car and motorbike horns.
Jacob Otieno Akach, 75, a resident of Kisumu, reflected on Odinga’s legacy, stating, “The death of Raila is the death of a hero. His work toward development and democracy is evident and shall live beyond him.”
Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement party released a statement calling him “a true giant of the nation and a darling in the hearts of Kenyans.” A party delegation, led by Secretary General Senator Edwin Sifuna, is traveling to India to repatriate Odinga’s body. At Nairobi airport, Sifuna indicated that discussions about Odinga’s successor as party leader were “too early.”
Odinga’s extensive career mirrored Kenya’s intricate journey from authoritarian one-party rule to its emergence as one of Africa’s leading democracies.
Hailing from western Kenya, he belonged to one of the nation’s most influential political families. His father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, was a key figure in Kenya’s independence struggle against Britain and later served as vice president under founding leader Jomo Kenyatta.
Early in his career, Odinga carved out a reputation as an anti-establishment politician. This was evident in his willingness to defy authorities, lead large public demonstrations, and his immense popularity in Nairobi’s most underserved areas. He was instrumental in the campaign for a new Kenyan constitution, which was successfully adopted in 2010.
His persistent ambition for the presidency positioned him as a central figure in national politics. However, his repeated unsuccessful bids often frustrated progressive reformers who aimed to improve Kenya’s democratic institutions amidst frequent election-related violence and the enduring influence of ethnic factors.
In recent years, Odinga’s image as a fierce opposition leader softened somewhat, notably through “the handshake” — a 2018 agreement with then-President Uhuru Kenyatta. This deal helped defuse political tensions and ethnic strife following the contentious 2017 election, effectively leading to a period of political cooperation that reduced the opposition’s adversarial role.
The precise terms of “the handshake” were never publicly disclosed, leading critics to believe that Odinga prioritized becoming president over maintaining a strong opposition stance.
In 2022, President Kenyatta reciprocated by backing Odinga as his successor. However, Odinga’s fifth presidential campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, with William Ruto emerging victorious after a tumultuous election process.
Odinga’s political philosophy was shaped early on by his time in Eastern Europe. In the 1960s, he received a scholarship to study in communist East Germany, a country that fostered educational ties with many African nations. He famously named his first son Fidel, a tribute to the Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Following a thwarted coup attempt in 1982 against President Daniel arap Moi, Odinga was arrested and accused of treason, spending six years in detention without trial.
Upon his release, he became a leading voice in protests advocating for a return to multiparty democracy in Kenya. This movement aligned Kenya with other African nations abandoning single-party rule in the wake of the Berlin Wall’s fall.
Kenya’s first multiparty election took place in 1992, where Odinga’s father ran but failed to secure the presidency.
Raila Odinga first contested the presidency himself five years later, finishing third behind President Moi.
He eventually achieved political power in April 2008, becoming Prime Minister as part of a power-sharing agreement. This deal was crucial in restoring stability after the post-election violence in late 2007, which claimed over 1,000 lives and displaced tens of thousands. Odinga had been the primary challenger in that election, which many believed was rigged in favor of the incumbent, Mwai Kibaki.
His decision to join the government, allowing Kibaki to remain president, was a point of contention for many of his supporters.
Odinga served as Prime Minister for five years and subsequently ran for president in 2013, 2017, and 2022. Each time, he lost and claimed the results were fraudulent.
In 2017, Kenya’s Supreme Court famously ordered a presidential election rerun, citing a failure to meet democratic standards. Although Odinga lost the rerun, the court’s decision was celebrated across Africa as a testament to judicial independence and a vindication of his persistent criticisms.
In his later years, Odinga’s fiery opposition image faded, and some Kenyan progressives began to view him as part of the established elite. Few of the younger generation of protesters, who have energized Kenya’s political scene since last year with demands for sweeping reforms, have identified Odinga as their primary champion.
Despite this shift, Odinga’s prominence over several decades earned him immense respect across Africa, a continent where political longevity is highly valued.
This year, with the backing of President Ruto, Odinga sought the chairmanship of the African Union, an ambition he hoped to finally fulfill. However, in a February vote, he was defeated by Djibouti’s foreign minister, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.
Among the many offering condolences on Wednesday was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a social media statement, Modi remembered Odinga as “a towering statesman and a cherished friend of India.” He noted Odinga’s admiration for traditional Indian medicine, recalling that one of Odinga’s daughters, Rosemary, had previously traveled to the same ayurvedic hospital in Kerala for treatment.
Reporting by Odera Wycliffe from Kisumu, Kenya, and Hari Kumar from New Delhi, India.