Former Kenyan PM Raila Odinga dies at 80 leaving behind lasting political legacy

Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has passed away at the age of 80, as confirmed by family sources to BBC.

Odinga flew to India on October 3 in the midst of major speculations about his worsening health status.

The party leader of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) took his last breath on Wednesday while receiving medical treatment at a hospital in India.

The former PM was undergoing treatment for undisclosed health conditions in the southern Indian city of Kochi. He suffered a cardiac arrest and could not survive.

Raila Odinga served as Kenya’s Prime Minister between 2008 and 2013. Being a veteran politician in Kenyan politics, he ran for the presidency five times but remained unsuccessful.

As an influential leader, he was known for his work as a democracy activist over the years. His tireless efforts brought two reforms in the country, including multiparty democracy in 1991 and a new constitution in 2010.

Odinga also spearheaded the protests after the contentious 2007 election that plunged the country into political violence as he refused to accept presidential election results.

After his defeat in the 2022 presidential elections, he joined a board-based government along with President William Ruto, bringing allies into key positions.

The Ruto administration also supported Oding’s nomination for the chairperson of African Union Commission. Later, he lost to Djibouti's Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.