Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga has died at the age of 80 while undergoing treatment at Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Koothattukulam, Ernakulam district, Kerala.
According to hospital authorities, Odinga suffered a cardiac failure during his morning walk on the hospital campus around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. He had been admitted to the facility five days earlier for specialized Ayurvedic treatment.
“He was accompanied by his daughter and personal doctor at the time of his passing,” said a senior hospital official. The hospital further confirmed that his body would be embalmed before being handed over to Kenyan authorities, with repatriation procedures coordinated by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Kenyan Embassy in New Delhi.
Odinga’s death has sent shockwaves through Kenya and beyond, marking the end of a political era. A veteran of Kenyan politics, Odinga served as the country’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 under the power-sharing government that followed the disputed 2007 elections. He was also a long-serving Member of Parliament for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013.
Over his decades-long career, Odinga became one of Kenya’s most influential opposition leaders, contesting the presidency five times in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022 without success. Despite electoral defeats, he remained a powerful voice for democracy, reform, and national unity.
Hospital sources noted Odinga’s deep personal connection with Sreedhareeyam Hospital. His daughter, Rosemary Odinga, had previously undergone treatment at the same facility after losing her eyesight due to optic nerve damage in 2017. She regained partial vision following Ayurvedic therapy at the centre.
In 2022, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Odinga and his daughter during his Mann Ki Baat radio address, praising India’s traditional medical systems for their global impact. “Raila Odinga shared how his daughter Rosemary, after losing her eyesight, found hope and healing in India through Ayurvedic treatment,” Modi said at the time.
Odinga’s passing marks the loss of a towering figure in African politics, whose influence spanned decades of Kenya’s democratic struggles. His lifelong pursuit of political reform and social justice earned him both admiration and controversy, making him one of the most enduring figures in East Africa’s political landscape.
Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced after consultations between the Kenyan government, his family, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
