Raila Odinga, a towering figure in Kenyan politics who served as Prime Minister and ran unsuccessfully for the presidency five times, died of cardiac arrest after he collapsed during a morning walk at a private ayurveda eye hospital at Koothattukulam in Kochi on Wednesday. He was 80.

Odinga played a pivotal role in championing multiparty democracy in the 1990s, after multiple spells in detention without trial. He was a leader both inside and outside government, alternately holding ministerial posts and acting as an Opposition figurehead for decades. He had served as the Prime Minister of Kenya between 2008 and 2013.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute in a message on X: “Deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend and former Prime Minister of Kenya, Mr Raila Odinga. He was a towering statesman and a cherished friend of India. I had the privilege of knowing him closely since my days as chief minister of Gujarat.... He particularly admired ayurveda and traditional medicine systems of India, having witnessed their positive impact on his daughter’s health.”

Odinga was a frequent visitor to Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Clinics & Panchakarma Centre Pvt Ltd on the outskirts of Kochi. His daughter Rosemary Odinga, 48, had developed a brain tumour which damaged her optic nerves in 2017.

The Odinga family has been coming regularly to the ayurveda eye hospital at Koothattukulam and Rosemary has regained her eyesight.

Odinga had a mild stroke while in Kenya, which led him to visit Mumbai for treatment at a leading hospital there. Initially, he had difficulty walking, but following ayurveda treatment at Sreedhareeyam, he could walk.

N.P. Sreejith, director of Sreedhareeyam, told The Telegraph that Odinga was accompanied by his wife, daughter, sister, personal doctor and security personnel.

“The Odinga family has been at Sreedhareeyam since last Friday. They came from Mumbai after visiting a leading allopathic hospital there. Odinga was keen to maintain general good health, for which he sought wellness ayurveda treatment during his current visit. He developed uneasiness during his morning walk on Wednesday and collapsed following a cardiac arrest. He was rushed to Devamatha Hospital at Koothattukulam, where he was pronounced dead at 9.52am,” Sreejith said.

After the Koothattukulam police completed the inquest formalities, a postmortem
was done. The mortal remains of Odinga will be taken to Kenya on Thursday morning in a chartered flight after a diplomatic process by the Indian and Kenyan embassies
is completed.

In his 2022 Mann Ki Baat address, Modi had fondly recalled a candid conversation with Odinga. He had told Modi that despite Rosemary undergoing treatment in several countries, it was the ayurveda hospital in Kerala that helped her regain her vision.

Born in western Kenya, Odinga was a scion of one of the country’s most important political families. His father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, was a leading figure in the struggle for independence from Britain and served as Vice-President under Kenya’s founding leader, Jomo Kenyatta.