Raila Odinga, Kenya’s former Prime Minister and one of the country’s most influential political figures for more than three decades, has died at the age of 80.
According to officials at the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in India, Odinga passed away on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at around 9 a.m.
He reportedly suffered cardiac failure during his morning walk on the hospital campus, Indian and Kenyan media reported.
Odinga had been receiving treatment at the facility for the past five days. He was accompanied by his daughter and personal doctor, according to hospital sources.
Hospital authorities said his body will be embalmed, and further arrangements will be made in coordination with India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the Kenyan Embassy in New Delhi.
Odinga served as Kenya’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013. He was a dominant figure in Kenyan politics for more than 30 years and made five unsuccessful bids for the presidency.
His political career was marked by repeated electoral disputes that often triggered ethnic tensions and violence, most notably in 2008, when more than 1,100 people were killed and about 350,000 displaced.
The crisis ended after mediation by the United Nations and then–South African President Thabo Mbeki, leading to a power-sharing agreement in which Odinga became Prime Minister under President Mwai Kibaki.
Odinga later lost presidential elections to Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013 and again in 2017. The Supreme Court annulled the 2017 result over widespread irregularities, but Odinga boycotted the re-run, citing unfair conditions.
Despite their earlier rivalry, Odinga and Kenyatta later reconciled. Kenyatta went on to back Odinga’s 2022 presidential bid, breaking a promise to support his then deputy, William Ruto.
In February 2025, Odinga ran for the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission but lost to Mahamoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti.
