October 15, (THEWILL) — Kenya’s veteran opposition leader and former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, has died at the age of 80 while on a medical visit to India.
According to Indian police authorities, Odinga was walking with his sister, daughter, and personal doctor when he suddenly collapsed. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Odinga was on a health visit to Devamatha Hospital in Kerala State, India.
Ben Agina, a senior adviser in Odinga’s 2022 presidential campaign, confirmed his death, describing it as a devastating blow to Kenya’s political landscape.
“It’s a sad day for us. His death has caused a major political split. The horizon looks unclear, and it will be a big blow, especially to his party,” Agina said.
Often described as Kenya’s most influential opposition figure, Odinga spent over three decades at the forefront of the country’s political evolution, pushing for multi-party democracy, challenging entrenched leadership, and brokering peace during periods of national tension.
He ran unsuccessfully for the presidency five times but remained a towering figure in Kenyan politics and a symbol of reform.
Born on January 7, 1945, in Maseno, Kisumu County, western Kenya, Odinga was the son of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, one of Kenya’s independence heroes and the country’s first vice president.
He attended Kisumu Union Primary and Maranda High School before winning a scholarship in 1965 to study in East Germany (then the German Democratic Republic).
By 1970, he had earned a diploma in mechanical engineering, roughly equivalent to a master’s degree.
Upon his return to Kenya, Odinga briefly lectured at the University of Nairobi and later worked at the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
He went on to establish Standard Processing Equipment Construction & Erection — later renamed East African Spectre, a company that manufactured LPG cylinders and related equipment.
Odinga’s death marks the end of an era in Kenya’s political history, leaving a void in the opposition and among millions who viewed him as the conscience of the nation.
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