Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has passed away at the age of 80 in India, after suffering a cardiac arrest on Wednesday morning, October 15, 2025. He was receiving treatment at Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Koothattukulam, Kerala.
According to hospital officials, Odinga collapsed during his routine morning walk on the hospital campus at around 9:00 a.m. He was immediately rushed for emergency care, but was pronounced dead on arrival. The hospital confirmed that he had been under treatment for five days, accompanied by his daughter and personal doctor.
Odinga’s body has been embalmed and is awaiting repatriation to Nairobi in coordination with Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kenyan Embassy in New Delhi.
A towering figure in Kenyan politics, Odinga served as Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 in the Grand Coalition Government formed after the 2007–2008 post-election crisis. He also represented Lang’ata Constituency in Parliament from 1992 to 2013 and spent much of his career as Kenya’s Leader of the Opposition.
Odinga ran for the presidency five times—in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022—cementing his status as one of East Africa’s most influential and polarizing political figures.
His family is expected to release an official statement later today, while condolences from political leaders across the region are already pouring in.
