Former Kenyan Prime Minister and veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga has died at the age of 80, a source from his office confirmed to Reuters on Wednesday. Details surrounding his death remain limited.
According to Indian publication Mathrubhumi, Odinga who was receiving medical treatment in Kochi, southern India suffered a cardiac arrest on Wednesday and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
A towering figure in Kenya’s political history, Odinga’s decades-long career was marked by his five presidential bids, all of which ended in defeat, and his pivotal role in shaping the nation’s democratic journey.
His relentless activism was instrumental in ushering in multiparty democracy in 1991 and the adoption of Kenya’s 2010 Constitution, two landmark reforms that transformed the country’s governance.
Odinga also led nationwide protests following the disputed 2007 presidential election, a period that descended into Kenya’s worst political violence since independence, leaving more than 1,300 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Throughout his life, Raila Odinga remained a symbol of resilience, reform, and democratic struggle, shaping Kenya’s modern political landscape and inspiring generations of leaders and citizens alike.
