By Emmanuel Nduka Obisue
Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga has died of a heart attack while in Kerala, India, where he was visiting with his family for his daughter’s medical treatment.
He was 80.
Odinga reportedly collapsed during his morning walk in Koothattukulam, Ernakulam District, on Wednesday and was rushed to Devamatha Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
He had arrived in Kerala six days earlier with his daughter, Rosemary Odinga, who was receiving Ayurvedic treatment at Sreedhareeyam Eye Hospital, the same facility credited with helping restore her eyesight after years of blindness.
Fondly called “Baba”, Odinga served as Kenya’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 and was a key figure in the struggle for multiparty democracy and constitutional reform. He ran for president five times and remained a dominant voice in Kenyan politics for over three decades.
Arrangements are being made through the Kenyan Embassy to repatriate his body.
His death has sparked an outpouring of grief across Kenya and across Africa.
