Former Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga, the late political icon of Kenya, passed away in India where he was battling a long illness. The departure of the courageous, reformist, and resilient leader from this world, happened on Wednesday morning and thus marked the end of his six-decade political journey.
One of the things that stood out about Odinga throughout his public life was his frankness about his health situation. He was frequently heard saying that he was sick but at the same time reassuring the people that he was going to recuperate and, indeed, on several occasions, he delivered on those promises. His honesty was one of the reasons why he was highly respected and loved by the people.
In 2010, when he was the Prime Minister, Odinga underwent an operation to his brain to relieve the pressure that had built up in his head following a minor accident. After the operation, his doctors informed the public that on admission, Odinga had been complaining of headaches and tiredness but was in a good state of recovery and healing.
Later, in March 2021, Odinga contracted COVID-19. His medical team made a public statement that he was responding well to the treatment that was being given to him. In his later years, Odinga would often fly out of the country for what he termed as routine medical check-ups.
To the detriment of his health rumors, which his trips often generated, he would always come back home refreshed and in a position to continue with his work.
Nonetheless, people were wondering what had happened to Odinga after he had gone into hiding for some time, and also the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) had announced that it was not going to hold its 20th anniversary celebrations.
The extended period during which he was unavailable resulted in many people guessing what might have happened to him until his elder brother, Dr. Oburu Odinga, confirmed that the ODM leader had been sick and was recuperating in India.
Kenyans were waiting for the same miracle to happen again and for Odinga to come back home after he had recovered. The opposite happened as it was confirmed that he had passed away on Wednesday morning, which was a great loss to the whole country.
It marked the end of a lifetime of political struggle and resilience that shaped Kenya’s democracy and Raila Odinga’s journey.
