By Elishamai Alouis Ziumbwa
Former Kenyan Prime Minister and opposition leader Raila Odinga has died at the age of 80.
Reports suggest that Odinga, who was undergoing treatment in the southern Indian city of Kochi, suffered a cardiac arrest on Wednesday and was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Odinga recently signed a political pact with Kenyan President William Ruto that saw his opposition party involved in critical government policymaking and its members appointed to the cabinet.
His work as a democracy activist over the years helped seal two of the country’s most important reforms: multiparty democracy and a new constitution in 2010.
He played a central role in shaping Kenya’s democratic transition, from fighting one-party rule to pushing for constitutional reforms.
Despite contesting the presidency five times in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022, Odinga never ascended to the country’s top office.
He led the protests after the disputed 2007 election that plunged the country into its most serious episode of political violence since independence.
About 1,300 people were killed, and hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes in the battles.
In recent years, Odinga had sought to extend his influence beyond Kenya most notably by launching a campaign for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission.
