Kochi, India – October 15, 2025 — Reports emerging from Indian and Kenyan media outlets indicate that former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga has died in India after suffering a cardiac arrest. The 80-year-old opposition leader was said to be receiving medical treatment at a facility in the southern Indian state of Kerala when he collapsed early Wednesday morning.
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According to Reuters, a source close to Odinga’s office confirmed the death, though no official statement has yet been released by his family or political party, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Indian publication Mathrubhumi English reported that Odinga was taking a morning walk near an Ayurvedic hospital in Koothattukulam, Kerala, when he suddenly suffered a cardiac arrest. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where medical personnel pronounced him dead on arrival.
Local media reports, including those from Kerala Kaumudi and Ommcom News, indicate that Odinga had been in India for several days, accompanied by family and close aides. His body has since been moved to a hospital morgue as arrangements for repatriation to Kenya are being coordinated with diplomatic officials.
Raila Odinga was one of Kenya’s most influential and enduring political figures, whose career spanned over four decades. He served as the country’s Prime Minister between 2008 and 2013, following a historic power-sharing deal that ended post-election violence. Over the years, Odinga became synonymous with Kenya’s opposition politics, contesting the presidency multiple times and emerging as a key reformist voice for democracy, transparency, and constitutional change.
Born on January 7, 1945, Odinga was the son of Kenya’s first Vice President, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. He studied engineering in East Germany before returning home to join national politics in the 1980s. His political journey was marked by both triumph and adversity, including years in detention during the single-party era, and a lasting imprint on Kenya’s democratic evolution.
In recent months, Odinga’s health had been the subject of intense speculation and online misinformation. Social media users circulated false claims about his alleged death or critical illness, prompting widespread confusion.
Earlier this month, his elder brother, Senator Oburu Odinga, publicly addressed these rumours, confirming that Raila was indeed in India for medical attention but insisting that his condition was stable. “My brother is fine and recuperating. The stories being spread about his death are false,” Oburu told local reporters at the time.
However, Wednesday morning reports appear to contradict those assurances, with multiple Indian outlets citing hospital sources confirming that Odinga succumbed to a heart attack. Still, until an official family or government statement is issued, questions remain about the exact circumstances of his passing.
News of Odinga’s reported death has sent shockwaves across Kenya and beyond. Political leaders, supporters, and ordinary citizens have taken to social media to express grief and disbelief, calling him a “freedom fighter,” “a father of democracy,” and “a true statesman.” Messages of condolence have begun to pour in from across the region, with several African leaders expected to issue official tributes once the news is formally confirmed.
In Nairobi, ODM officials have remained tight-lipped, saying only that they are “awaiting official communication from the family.”
Raila Odinga leaves behind a remarkable legacy that of a leader who never wavered in his pursuit of justice and equality for all Kenyans. His decades-long struggle for electoral reform, devolution, and good governance shaped Kenya’s modern political landscape.
Whether as an opposition leader, a reformer, or a symbol of resilience, Raila Odinga’s impact on Kenya’s political history is indelible. His reported death marks the end of an era, closing the chapter on one of the country’s most formidable political journeys.
As the world awaits official confirmation and funeral details, Kenyans reflect on a life marked by courage, defiance, and unrelenting hope for a better nation.
