RAILA ODINGA PROFILE
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 7, 1945 |
| GENDER | Male |
| FAMILY | Married to Ida Odinga. He is also the son of the late Fidel Castrol Odinga (deceased), Winnie, Rosemary, and Raila Junior. |
| OCCUPATION | Politician, Engineer |
Raila Biography
Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga passed away in India on the morning of Wednesday, October 15, 2025, after suffering a cardiac arrest.
The long-time Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader died at the age of 80 while undergoing treatment in Kochi, India.
Odinga reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest during a morning walk and was rushed to Devamatha Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Raila Odinga was born in Maseno, Kisumu County, on January 7, 1945, to Kenya’s first Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and Mary Ajuma.
He pursued his early education at Kisumu Union Primary School before joining Maranda High School for his secondary education. He later proceeded to East Germany, where he studied at the Herder Institute. In 1965, he joined the Technical School of Magdeburg, part of the Philological Faculty at the University of Leipzig in East Germany.
Educational and Political Background
Odinga graduated with a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1970.
In the late 1970s, Raila became politically active, supporting government reforms and opposing authoritarianism. He lectured at the University of Nairobi’s Department of Mechanical Engineering until 1974, before joining the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) as Group Standards Manager, later rising to Deputy Director by 1978.
His public service roles gave him a platform for subtle political advocacy, heavily influenced by his father’s opposition politics after Jaramogi resigned as Vice President in 1966.
In 1982, Raila fell out with President Daniel Arap Moi’s government after being accused of participating in the failed coup attempt led by Senior Private Hezekiah Ochuka.
Also Read: Raila Odinga Dies at 80
He was placed under house arrest and later charged with treason, though he was detained without trial for six years. Raila was released on February 6, 1988, but re-arrested in September the same year, detained again, and later released on June 12, 1989—only to be re-arrested on July 5, 1990.
After his final release, Odinga fled to Norway, fearing another arrest.
He returned to Kenya in February 1992 and joined the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD), where he was elected Vice Chair of the General Purposes Committee. That same year, he was elected Member of Parliament for Lang’ata on a Ford-Kenya ticket.
After his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, passed away in January 1994, he ran for party chairman but lost to Michael Wamalwa Kijana. He left Ford-Kenya to join the National Development Party (NDP).
After running for the presidency in 1997 and coming in third, he organized a merger between his party, the National Democratic Party (NDP), and Moi’s Kanu party. From June 2001 to June 2002, he was the Minister of Energy in Moi’s Cabinet. As part of the merger’s power-sharing agreement, he was named Kanu party secretary-general in the subsequent elections.
Raila Ditches Moi
Odinga and Moi had a falling out in 2002 after Mr. Moi backed Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta for president. Mr. Odinga and other Kanu members argued that the then-38-year-old Kenyatta lacked the necessary political experience and leadership characteristics to rule; therefore, they opposed this move.
Odinga’s Bid for Presidency
Afterward, he disagreed with President Kibaki and ran against him in the 2007 presidential election, which was followed by post-election violence in Kenya’s history. During the peace talks brokered by the late former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, he was appointed Prime Minister of the resulting grand coalition government.
He lost to Kenyatta in the highly contentious 2013 presidential election. In 2027, the Supreme Court overturned the election results where Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner, but Raila refused to participate in the rerun in October 2017. He later shook hands with Kenyatta on March 18, 2018, and agreed to work together.
He ran for President again in 2022 but lost to William Ruto.
Ruto garnered 50.49 percent of the vote, while Raila Odinga received 48.85 percent. Odinga challenged the results at the Supreme Court. However, the seven-judge bench upheld Dr Ruto’s win.
Also Read: ODM Breaks Silence on Raila Odinga’s Health
The court stated that it found no evidence of hacking and that no evidence was presented to show that Mr. Chebukati and other IEBC staff were involved. Raila later had a handshake with Uhuru in March 2008.
Following the ruling, Odinga launched anti-government protests aimed at addressing challenges, including the then-high cost of living.
In 2024, Gen Zs took to the streets in what was described as an “attempted coup’ in some quarters, with protesters setting Parliament on fire. Tens of youths were killed.
Raila Odinga later joined Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration in an arrangement known as the Broad-based Government, where he remained until his demise.
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