Staff Reporter

Raila Odinga, the former Prime Minister of Kenya and a towering figure in the nation’s political landscape, has died.

He was 80.

According to his family, he died of cardiac failure this morning while undergoing treatment at an Ayurvedic facility in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

Mr. Odinga suffered the fatal cardiac event during his morning walk on the campus of the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre at Koothattukulam in Ernakulam district.

The former Prime Minister had been receiving treatment at the center for the last five days, accompanied by his daughter, Rosemary Odinga, and a personal doctor.

The hospital confirmed the death and stated that Mr. Odinga’s body would be embalmed pending instructions from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Kenyan Embassy in New Delhi regarding its repatriation.

Mr. Odinga, who served as Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013, had a long-standing association with the hospital.

His daughter, had undergone successful treatment at the facility after losing her sight completely in 2017 due to optic nerve damage.

The veteran politician, Mr. Odinga was the Member of Parliament for Langata constituency from 1992 to 2013 and held the position of Leader of the Opposition in Kenya for many years.