LEADERS across the world have reacted to the death of former Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, at the age of 80.
Family sources told the BBC that Odinga died on Wednesday while receiving medical treatment at a hospital in India.
He collapsed during a morning walk and was taken to Devamatha Hospital, which said he had suffered a cardiac arrest and did not respond to resuscitation measures; hence was “declared dead at 09:52” local time (04:22 GMT).
In recent weeks, there has been speculation about his health, although family members and political allies dismissed reports suggesting he was critically ill.
Former President, Uhuru Kenyatta, said Odinga’s death had “left a silence that echoes across our nation.”
Other Kenyan politicians and world leaders have been sending their condolences, including Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who described Odinga as a “towering statesman and a cherished friend of India.”
Kenyan President, William Ruto, has visited Odinga’s family home in Nairobi and expressed his condolences to his widow, Ida Odinga, and other family members.
His supporters have been pouring onto the streets to mourn, especially in his political strongholds of western Kenya and parts of Nairobi.
A political mobiliser and towering figure in Kenyan politics, Odinga ran unsuccessfully for the presidency five times and rejected the results on each occasion, often saying that victory had been stolen from him.
He was vindicated by Kenya’s highest court after the 2017 elections, when it annulled Kenyatta’s victory and ordered fresh polls.
Odinga, however, boycotted the rerun, demanding electoral reforms.
He later made up with Kenyatta, stunning the nation when the two shook hands in 2018, ending months of tension.
The disputed 2007 election, in which Odinga claimed he was cheated of victory by Mwai Kibaki, led to the biggest crisis in Kenya’s history when violence erupted around the country, resulting in 1,200 deaths and about 600,000 people forced to flee their homes.
To resolve the crisis, a power-sharing agreement was brokered by former Inited Nations (UN) secretary general, Kofi Annan, leading to the formation of a unity government in which Odinga became prime minister.
He has often reconciled with the incumbent president after contentious elections. After his most recent defeat in 2022, he later joined Ruto in a so-called broad-based government, which brought several of his allies into key positions.
He defended the move as necessary for national unity, coming in the aftermath of watershed nationwide protests last year that culminated in the storming of parliament. Dozens of protesters were killed in confrontations with security officers.
The Ruto administration backed Odinga’s bid to become chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, in elections held earlier this year.
Despite strong regional support, he lost to Djibouti’s Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.
Odinga inspired a passionate and loyal following throughout his political career, especially in western Kenya, where he was born.
His supporters called him “Baba” (father), “Agwambo” (Act of God) and “Tinga” (Tractor), drawn from his party’s symbol during the 1997 elections.
He was widely regarded as a master strategist and mass mobiliser, often drawing huge crowds to his political rallies, with a deep ability to connect with ordinary people.
Odinga will be remembered for his unwavering fight for democratic freedoms and human rights. He was a former political prisoner and holds the record for being Kenya’s longest-serving detainee.
His struggle against one-party dictatorship saw him detained twice (from 1982 to 1988, and 1989 to 1991) during the rule of Daniel Arap Moi.
He was initially imprisoned for trying to stage a coup in 1982, which propelled him on to the national stage.
For most of his political life, Odinga has been seen as symbol of resistance and political reform and his death leaves a vacuum about who can fill his shoes and carry on his legacy.
He is the son of Jaramogi Odinga, Kenya’s first vice president, who walked out of government after falling out with then leader, Jomo Kenyatta, Uhuru Kenyatta’s father.
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