{"id":40505,"date":"2025-10-16T12:49:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T10:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=40505"},"modified":"2025-10-16T12:49:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T10:49:29","slug":"raila-odinga-dies-of-heart-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/16\/raila-odinga-dies-of-heart-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Raila Odinga dies of heart attack"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lodu William Odiya<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Former Kenyan prime Minister, Raila Amolo Odinga has on Wednesday died of Cardiac arrest at the age of 80, in Indian city Kochi, where he had been receiving medical treatment.<\/p>\n

According to the report, the late Odinga collapsed during a morning walk and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced him shortly after the arrival.<\/p>\n

In a statement issued Wednesday from Addis Ababa, AUC Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf expressed profound sorrow at Odinga\u2019s passing, underscoring he was a towering statesman and a steadfast champion of democracy, social justice, and African unity.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis decades-long commitment to justice, pluralism, and democratic reform left an indelible mark not only on Kenya but across the African continent\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe inspired generations of leaders, including myself, and citizens alike through his courage, resilience, and unwavering belief in the power of dialogue and democratic institutions\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n

The statement underscored as the African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa, late Odinga worked tirelessly to advance the continent\u2019s integration and connectivity agenda.<\/p>\n

It also stated thar Odinga was helping to lay the foundations for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader socio-economic transformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfrica has lost one of its most visionary sons; a leader who dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice, democracy, and unity. His legacy will continue to inspire our collective efforts to build a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic Africa\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n

Odinga, who served as Prime Minister of Kenya between 2008 and 2013, was a central figure in Kenya\u2019s pro-democracy movement during the 1980s and 1990s and later became one of the continent\u2019s most recognizable opposition leaders.<\/p>\n

He ran for president five times, most recently in 2022, and remained an influential figure in both Kenyan and African politics.<\/p>\n

In May 2022, the late Odinga on behalf of the African Union\u2019s infrastructure commission, attended the inauguration ceremony of the Juba Freedom Bridge, insisting that the new bridge should contribute to economic development for the entire East Africa region.<\/p>\n

A huge crowd celebrated the opening, hoping the new bridge would reduce traffic congestion to cross the Nile.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Odinga contested for the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission, pledging to advance continental integration, infrastructure development, and good governance.<\/p>\n

Although he ultimately lost the race to Youssouf, his campaign was widely praised for its energy and vision.<\/p>\n

Tributes had poured in from across Africa and beyond, with current and former leaders describing Odinga as a symbol of resilience and reform.<\/p>\n

According to sources, President William Ruto, in a sombre address to the nation on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, while flanked by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Raila\u2019s elder brother Oburu Oginga, referred to Raila as the nation\u2019s foremost statesman.<\/p>\n

The President declared seven days of national mourning in honour of the late opposition leader, directing that flags fly at half-mast across the country and in all Kenyan missions abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cFellow citizens, it is with deep sorrow that I inform the nation of the passing of Rt Honourable Raila Amolo Odinga, our former Prime Minister and Kenya\u2019s foremost statesman and one of Africa\u2019s greatest sons,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cKenya, Africa, and the world mourn the passing of giants of democracy and tireless warriors of good governance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ruto stated that Raila\u2019s legacy in Kenya will forever remain etched in the history of the nation for his decade-long pursuit of justice and equity.<\/p>\n

\u201cRaila\u2019s name will be forever etched in the story of our republic. A story of struggle, sacrifice, courage, rule of law, hope, and our pursuit of excellence,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Ruto extended his deepest condolences to Mama Ida and his entire Raila family, led by Oburu Oginga. He implored the country to unite in the face of the trying time of bereavement.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we mourn, I call on all Kenyans to reflect on his towering legacy and lessons impacted by Raila\u2019s work, ideas and examples. In a political career spanning decade, Raila offered a compelling model of putting country before his personal interest,\u201d he stated<\/p>\n

The address followed after the head of state joined mourners at Raila\u2019s Karen home on Wednesday, October 15, morning, as news of the veteran opposition leader\u2019s death filtered through.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lodu William Odiya The Former Kenyan prime Minister, Raila Amolo Odinga has on Wednesday died of Cardiac arrest at the age of 80, in Indian city Kochi, where he had been receiving medical treatment. According to the report, the late Odinga collapsed during a morning walk and was rushed[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":40506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-news","category-politics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Raila.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40505"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40507,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40505\/revisions\/40507"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}