Kenya and Africa woke on October 15, 2025 to the somber news that Raila Amolo Odinga — a towering figure in Kenyan politics — had passed away at the age of 80.
According to multiple reports, he suffered a cardiac arrest while in Kochi, India, where he had been seeking treatment. He was rushed to a private facility in Koothattukulam but was pronounced dead there.
Raila Odinga was born on January 7, 1945, in Maseno, Kenya Colony, to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Mary Juma Odinga.
His father was a formidable nationalist and later became Kenya’s first vice-president, making Raila’s entry into the political sphere almost preordained. Growing up in a politically engaged family sharpened his instincts for public life.
Raila’s schooling began in Kenya — he attended Kisumu Union Primary, Maranda Primary, and then Maranda High School. In the mid-1960s, he won a scholarship to study in East Germany, enrolling at the Technische Hochschule in Magdeburg (later part of Otto von Guericke University).
In 1970, he graduated with a Diplom (equivalent to a Master’s) in mechanical engineering and welding.
Returning to Kenya, Odinga briefly lectured in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nairobi, before joining the Kenya Bureau of Standards. By 1978, he had risen to become Deputy Director.
From Dissidence to Democracy
Political activism crept into his life as Kenya remained under one-party rule. Odinga was detained without trial following the failed 1982 coup attempt — a turning moment in his anti-authoritarian journey.
He spent years under tight restrictions, rebounding each time to assert the cause of political pluralism.
When Kenya officially returned to multiparty politics in 1991, Odinga plunged in. He joined the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD) and later launched or merged into parties such as FROD-K, the National Development Party, and eventually the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
In 1997, his first presidential run under NDP ended in a third-place finish. But his growing positioning as an opposition figure would define much of the next decades.
Odinga was elected Member of Parliament for Lang’ata in 1992 — a seat he held until 2013.
During that period he also served in multiple ministerial roles, including Minister of Energy (2001–2002) and Minister of Roads, Public Works and Housing (2003–2005).
The 2007 Election and the Birth of the Coalition Government
The 2007 presidential election remains one of Kenya’s most traumatic political moments. Odinga ran under ODM and challenged the official outcome declaring Mwai Kibaki the winner.
The fallout was immediate: widespread violence, claims of fraud, and national lament. Estimates suggest around 1,300 people died and hundreds of thousands were displaced.
Under mediation led by former UN chief Kofi Annan, a power-sharing agreement was reached. Odinga became Prime Minister in 2008, a role he held until the office was abolished under the 2010 constitution.
As Prime Minister, Odinga was a key player in pushing constitutional reforms that culminated in Kenya’s 2010 Constitution, which brought major reforms around devolution, checks and balances, and human rights protections.
The Stalwart Opposition
After 2013, with the Prime Minister role gone, Raila Odinga assumed the mantle of Leader of the Opposition, becoming the central voice that continually challenged state power.
He ran for president five times: 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022, but never won. In each campaign, he alleged electoral malfeasance, with several of his challenges ending in court battles or dramatic walkouts.
In 2018, Odinga famously reconciled with President Uhuru Kenyatta through a symbolic “handshake,” shifting the political landscape and birthing the Azimio la Umoja coalition, with Odinga as its standard bearer.
In 2022, Odinga ran under Azimio with Martha Karua as his running mate. Despite losing the election, the 2022 campaign increasingly blended opposition and cooperation, culminating in a MoU with the government in 2025.
Beyond national politics, Odinga also sought continental roles. In 2024, he declared his candidacy for Chairperson of the African Union Commission, seeking to take his influence beyond Kenya’s borders.
In 2025, he was dispatched by the Kenyan government as a special envoy to South Sudan to help mediate escalating tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar.
Health, Rumours, and Final Days
In the weeks before his death, rumors swirled about Odinga’s health. Some media outlets claimed he was seriously ill in India, while others insisted he was “very healthy.”
Royal Media’s Chairman SK Macharia stated he had spoken to Odinga the morning of October 15, saying he was “very healthy, jumping.”
However, reports from Mathrubhumi and Reuters painted a different picture: Odinga collapsed during a morning walk at the Ayurvedic facility in Kochi, was rushed to hospital, and pronounced dead around 9:52 am local time.
His death announcement was later confirmed by sources in his office.
Amid contradictory claims and confusion, Africa Check flagged several viral posts asserting his death as false, calling them misleading, manipulated or based on old footage.
Legacy, Controversy, and Impact
Raila Odinga’s political life was marked by both admiration and criticism — but there is no denying his influence.
He was a relentless advocate for democracy, pushing the country from one-party rule to pluralism in 1991, and later championing constitutional reform in 2010.
He positioned himself as the champion of the marginalized, the youth, and the opposition — always a critic of power when he believed it strayed.
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Some critics accused him of overplaying victimhood, stoking tribal mobilization, or undermining institutions through repeated election disputes. But supporters saw him as a necessary counterweight to entrenched power and a living symbol of persistent dissent.
His role in the 2007–2008 crisis remains contested: while his activism helped bring reforms, critics argue that opposition rhetoric contributed to the worst violence Kenya had seen since independence.
His later rapprochement with Uhuru Kenyatta and cooperation with the government under Ruto in 2025 invited skepticism from core supporters — especially those who viewed political deal-making as betrayal. Yet others saw it as maturity: a sign of willingness to shift from rigid confrontation to national consensus.
Internationally, Odinga’s name became known across Africa. His push for continental leadership, his mediation roles, and his international alliances made him a figure whose relevance extended beyond Kenya.
End of an Era
Raila Odinga’s passing closes a tumultuous, yet pivotal, chapter in Kenya’s political history. He was not just a politician — he was a movement.
His life stretches across key moments: from colonial Kenya, through the struggle for political freedoms, through constitutional wars, to the modern era of devolved power and contested elections. His legacy will be debated, critiqued, praised, opposed — but it cannot be ignored.
As Kenya grapples with his loss, citizens will ask deep and urgent questions: Who carries forward his message? How will institutions respond? What becomes of the political space he occupied?
For now, the country mourns a man who often walked alone — but inspired millions. Raila Odinga’s journey ends, but Kenya’s story moves on, forever shaped by his voice, his battles, and the dreams he waged.