FILE – Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga lifts his hat to thousands of supporters gathered at a rally in the Shauri Moyo area of Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
Prominent Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, a former prime minister of the African country, died of cardiac arrest in Kerala on Wednesday. Odinga had been in Kerala for Ayurvedic treatment at a facility in Koothattukulam in the state’s Ernakulam district.”He collapsed during a morning walk within the premises of the Ayurvedic facility and was rushed to a private hospital,” a spokesperson for the eye hospital told news agency PTI.”The Ayurvedic facility had earlier helped his daughter regain her vision,” the spokesperson added.His body remains at the private hospital, and authorities have informed the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to carry out necessary procedures as per protocol.Who was Raila Odinga?Born on January 7, 1945, Odinga was a pro-democracy campaigner who spent eight years in prison. A member of the Luo tribe, he entered Kenyan parliament in 1992 and contested the presidency five times—in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022—claiming to have been “cheated of victory” in the last four elections. A lifelong fan of Arsenal Football Club, he became Kenya’s prime minister in February 2008 through a power-sharing deal aimed at ending the violence that erupted after the 2007 presidential election, in which he was the defeated candidate. The post of prime minister was abolished under a new Constitution in 2010.Condolences pour inKenya’s former chief justice, and current presidential candidate, David Maraga, said he was “shocked” by news of the death. Odinga was “a patriot, a pan-Africanist, a democrat and a leader who made significant contributions to democracy in Kenya and in Africa,” Maraga wrote on X. “Kenya 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,” he added.Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was among the first to react, posting on X: “On behalf of the Government of Ethiopia, I extend my sincere condolences on the passing of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga. May he Rest In Peace.”