NAIROBI: Kenya’s veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, who was imprisoned multiple times while fighting one-party autocracy and ran five times unsuccessfully for president, died aged 80 on Wednesday in India.
Odinga had been receiving medical treatment abroad and suffered a cardiac arrest, according to the hospital in the city of Kochi where he died.
He was for decades at the heart of Kenyan politics, striking alliances with former foes, serving as prime minister for a term, and inspiring lifelong loyalty from his base, particularly among fellow Luos in the west and in the capital Nairobi.
Odinga’s ability to work with rivals earned him the nickname “Agwambo” (“mysterious one’’) in the Luo language. Supporters called him “Baba” (“father” in Swahili), refusing to turn their back even when he was accused of exploiting ethnic divisions for political gain or of striking deals with opponents for the sake of personal power.
Upon news of his passing, hundreds of supporters from the Nairobi slum of Kibera, many crying and waving twigs to ward off bad omens, made their way in a procession to Odinga’s family home in the capital’s upscale Karen suburb.
Crowds also gathered in the lakeside town of Kisumu and the Rift Valley town of Eldoret where Odinga was popular.
His legacy as a democracy activist over the years helped seal two of Kenya’s most important reforms: multiparty democracy in 1991 and a new constitution in 2010.
Odinga led protests after a disputed 2007 vote plunged Kenya into its most serious political violence since independence.
Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2025
