{"id":214909,"date":"2025-10-15T13:41:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T13:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/214909\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T13:41:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T13:41:08","slug":"raila-odinga-towering-kenyan-opposition-figure-dies-aged-80-kenya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/214909\/","title":{"rendered":"Raila Odinga, towering Kenyan opposition figure, dies aged 80 | Kenya"},"content":{"rendered":"

The veteran Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, who ran five times for the presidency and had a profound influence on the country\u2019s politics, has died aged 80 in India<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Odinga was in the southern city of Kochi for treatment. The Press Trust of India news agency reported<\/a> that he suffered a cardiac arrest during a morning walk.<\/p>\n

In an address to the nation on Wednesday, Kenya\u2019s president, William Ruto, described Odinga as \u201ca once-in-a-generation leader\u201d, \u201ca giant of democracy\u201d and \u201ca tireless warrior of good governance\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cIn his passing, we have lost a patriot of uncommon courage, a pan-Africanist, a unifier who sought peace and unity above power and self-gain, an unceasing servant of the people who gave his all for the promise of a better Kenya.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruto declared seven national days of mourning and said Odinga would be accorded a state funeral.<\/p>\n

An enduring opposition figure in Kenyan politics, Odinga became an MP in 2002 and his most recent run for the presidency was in 2022.<\/p>\n

Mourners in Nairobi on Wednesday following news of Odinga\u2019s death. Photograph: Tony Karumba\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

His narrow loss to Mwai Kibaki in the disputed 2007 election triggered unrest that killed about 1,300 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. He became prime minister in 2008 in a national unity government headed by Kibaki as part of a deal to end the bloodshed.<\/p>\n

In 1982, Odinga, a son of Kenya\u2019s first vice-president, Oginga Odinga, was charged with treason in connection with a coup against the then president, Daniel arap Moi, and detained without trial for six years.<\/p>\n

An ardent political activist, he was arrested many times during Moi\u2019s administration for fighting against his one-party rule.<\/p>\n

His fight for democracy helped the country achieve two milestone political reforms: changing to a multiparty democracy in 1991, and enacting a new constitution in 2010.<\/p>\n

Ruto said in his address: \u201cFor decades, Raila dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice, equity, and freedom. He endured detention and persecution so that this nation might know and enjoy democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

A hugely popular figure, Odinga was able to mobilise massive crowds to attend his rallies, and supporters called him Baba \u2013 \u201cfather\u201d in Swahili. As news of his death reached the streets, hundreds of supporters from the Nairobi neighbourhood of Kibera, where he was MP, made their way in a procession to his home in the Karen neighbourhood.<\/p>\n

In reaction to youth-led anti-government protests<\/a> last year, he entered an agreement with the president, William Ruto, under which his Orange Democratic Movement party became part of a \u201cbroad-based government\u201d and gained a role in policymaking.<\/p>\n

A mourner outside the official residence of Raila Odinga in Nairobi. Photograph: Simon Maina\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Tributes have poured in for the former prime minister.<\/p>\n

Former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta said<\/a>: \u201cWe have lost a father to the nation, a steadfast champion for the people, and a true son of Kenya. His legacy is not just in the political battles he fought, but in the peace he helped build. It is etched in the very fabric of our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former chief justice and current presidential aspirant David Maraga said he was shocked by news of Odinga\u2019s death. He described him as \u201ca patriot, a pan-Africanist, a democrat and a leader who made significant contributions to democracy in Kenya and in Africa\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cKenya has lost one of its most formidable leaders who shaped the trajectory of our beloved country. Africa has lost a leading voice in pushing for peace, security and development. The world has lost a great leader,\u201d he said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the chair of the African Union Commission, said Odinga was \u201ca steadfast champion of democracy, good governance, and people-centered development\u201d. He said<\/a>: \u201cHis decades-long commitment to justice, pluralism, and democratic reform left an indelible mark not only on Kenya but across the African continent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, said<\/a> Odinga was a \u201ctowering statesman\u201d. Condolences were also offered by Ethiopia\u2019s prime minister<\/a>, Abiy Ahmed, and the Tanzanian president<\/a>, Samia Suluhu Hassan, who described Odinga\u2019s death as a tragedy \u201cnot just for Kenya, but for all of us\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The veteran Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, who ran five times for the presidency and had a profound…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":214910,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-214909","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214909\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}