{"id":3313,"date":"2025-10-15T11:36:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T11:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/10\/15\/kenyan-opposition-leader-raila-odinga-dies-of-heart-attack-in-india-at-80\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T11:36:37","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T11:36:37","slug":"kenyan-opposition-leader-raila-odinga-dies-of-heart-attack-in-india-at-80","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/10\/15\/kenyan-opposition-leader-raila-odinga-dies-of-heart-attack-in-india-at-80\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga dies of heart attack in India at 80"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, \u200b\u200ba key figure in African politics, has died at the age of 80 during a trip to India for medical treatment, according to local police and hospital officials.<\/p>\n

The former prime minister, who as opposition leader had waged five unsuccessful presidential campaigns between 1997 and 2022, had suffered a heart attack, the Devamatha Hospital in the southern Indian state of Kerala confirmed to The Associated Press news agency on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Odinga was a dominant force in Kenyan politics, and his death will leave a significant leadership vacuum within the country\u2019s political opposition ahead of elections in 2027.<\/p>\n

An Indian police official told the AFP news agency that Odinga had been on a morning walk, accompanied by his sister, daughter, a personal doctor, and Indian and Kenyan security officers, when he collapsed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was rushed to a nearby private hospital, but was declared dead,\u201d said Krishnan M, additional superintendent of police in Ernakulam, Kerala.<\/p>\n

Unnamed officials in Odinga\u2019s office also confirmed the death to news agencies.<\/p>\n

Indian newspaper Mathrubhumi had earlier reported the death, adding that Odinga had been undergoing medical treatment in the state\u2019s Kochi city.<\/p>\n

As news of the death broke in Kenya, President William Ruto visited the Odinga family home in Nairobi\u2019s wealthy Karen suburb.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of the late politician\u2019s supporters, many of them crying and waving twigs to ward off bad omens, also made their way to the the home to pay their respects, the Reuters news agency reported.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Sreedhareeyam
Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic hospital in Koothattukulam in India\u2019s southern state of Kerala, where Raila Odinga had been undergoing treatment [AP Photo]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pro-democracy campaigner<\/h2>\n

Al Jazeera\u2019s Catherine Soi said Odinga was known as \u201can enigma in Kenya\u2019s politics\u201d.<\/p>\n

Born in 1945 into one of the country\u2019s political dynasties, as the son of the country\u2019s first vice president after independence in 1963, \u201che would become a revolutionary in the eyes of many\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n

A member of the Luo tribe, Odinga spent most of his adult life in politics, earning a reputation in his early years as a left-wing firebrand who named his son Fidel in honour of the Cuban Communist leader Fidel Castro.<\/p>\n

Odinga\u2019s political activism would see him spend years in jail or in exile. He was first imprisoned in 1982 after a coup attempt against then-President Daniel arap Moi, whose government jailed, tortured and murdered opponents.<\/p>\n

After his release, Odinga first entered parliament in 1992, and ran unsuccessful presidential campaigns in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022.<\/p>\n

He claimed to have been cheated of victory in the last four elections, and led protests after the disputed 2007 election that led to Kenya\u2019s most serious bout of political violence<\/a> since independence.<\/p>\n

About 1,300 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes in the battles. Large-scale protests also broke out<\/a> during the 2017 election, in which the Supreme Court annulled the results of an initial poll, and Odinga withdrew from the follow-up, saying it would not be free and fair.<\/p>\n

The \u2018mysterious one\u2019<\/h2>\n

Odinga\u2019s pro-democracy activism over the years helped drive two of the country\u2019s most significant political reforms: multiparty democracy in 1991 and a new constitution in 2010.<\/p>\n

Throughout his political career, Odinga commanded strong support from his base, many of whom called him \u201cBaba\u201d, or \u201cfather\u201d in Swahili.<\/p>\n

That support endured even when he was accused of exploiting ethnic divisions for political benefit, or striking deals with his political foes \u2013 a practice that earned him the nickname \u201cAgwambo\u201d,\u00a0 or \u201cmysterious one\u201d, in the Luo language.<\/p>\n

In March, he signed a pact with Ruto that saw his opposition Azimio la Umoja party involved in critical policymaking and its members appointed to the cabinet.<\/p>\n

\u2018A great leader\u2019<\/h2>\n

Kenya\u2019s former chief justice and presidential hopeful, David Maraga, said he was \u201cshocked\u201d by news of Odinga\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

Odinga was \u201ca patriot, a pan-Africanist, a democrat and a leader who made significant contributions to democracy in Kenya and in Africa\u201d, Maraga wrote on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cKenya has lost one of its most formidable leaders who shaped the trajectory of our beloved country. Africa has lost a leading voice in pushing for peace, security and development. The world has lost a great leader,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was among those to react, posting on X: \u201cOn behalf of the Government of Ethiopia, I extend my sincere condolences on the passing of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga. May he Rest In Peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

I am shocked to learn of the demise of former Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga, a patriot, a pan-Africanist, a democrat and a leader who made significant contributions to democracy in Kenya and in Africa. <\/p>\n

Kenya has lost one of its most formidable leaders who shaped\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/md6vfXyt9f<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 David Maraga (@dkmaraga) October 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, \u200b\u200ba key figure in African politics, has died at the age of 80 during a trip to India for medical treatment, according to local police and hospital officials. The former prime minister, who as opposition leader had waged five unsuccessful presidential campaigns between 1997 and 2022, had suffered a heart … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}