The name Raila Odinga is familiar to followers of East African politics. He was a kingpin in Kenyan politics, and, as AFP news agency put it, his death on Wednesday, October 15, is a "political earthquake."

Odinga died of a cardiac arrest in Kerala, India, where he was receiving Ayurvedic treatment. He was 80.

His death will mark the end of an era in Kenyan politics in which he participated as prime minister before he became a leading opposition leader.

A look at Odinga's life

Raila Amolo Odinga was born on January 7, 1945, in Maseno, Kenya. He was married to Ida Odinga. Their 52-year union gave them four children: Fidel, Rosemary, Raila Jr. and Winnie.

He had been politically active since the 1970s and his family was not new to politics. His father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, was the first vice president of independent Kenya.

Odinga was the Member of Parliament for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013.

Odinga served as Kenya’s prime minister from 2008 to 2013.

Until his death, he was the party leader of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). He was also a businessman.

Odinga was a tireless contender for the Kenyan State House, but the country's rough-and-tumble politics and shifting political alliances did little to help him get the top seat.

He lost his fifth bid at the presidency in 2022, after William Ruto won with 50.5%. He had run for president in 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2017.

Odinga last bid was to head the African Union. A former AU high representative for infrastructure development from 2018 to 2023, Odinga lost the bid for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission after Djibouti's former Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf won the election in February 2025.