Former Kenyan Prime Minister and veteran opposition leader, Raila Odinga, has died at the age of 80, a source from his office confirmed on Wednesday.
Indian newspaper Mathrubhumi reported that Odinga, who was receiving medical treatment in the southern Indian city of Kochi, suffered a cardiac arrest on Wednesday and was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Odinga, one of Kenya’s most influential political figures, contested the presidency five times but never won. Two of those elections in 2007 and 2017 were marred by violence and controversy, with the 2007 vote sparking the country’s worst post-election crisis, in which around 1,300 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
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A staunch democracy activist, Odinga played a key role in two landmark political reforms: the introduction of multiparty democracy in 1991 and the adoption of a new constitution in 2010.
Throughout his decades-long career, Odinga was seen as a symbol of resilience and reform in Kenyan politics, often positioning himself as a champion of democratic governance and social justice.
