KENYA, NAIROBI – Kenya’s long-serving opposition leader, Raila Amolo Odinga, who shaped the country’s multiparty democracy through decades of activism, political defiance, and near victories, has died at the State House in Nairobi, according to CNN.
Odinga, born January 7, 1945, in Kisumu, was widely regarded as a fearless statesman who fought to dismantle Kenya’s one-party system and promote political freedoms across the nation.
CNN reported that Odinga’s activism began in the 1980s when he opposed President Daniel arap Moi’s authoritarian rule. He was linked to a failed 1982 coup attempt and detained for nearly a decade under harsh conditions, which he later described as “dehumanizing and torturous.”
After his release and brief exile in Europe, Odinga returned in 1992, winning a parliamentary seat that marked the start of his rise as a national figure. His persistent campaigns against corruption and inequality won him admiration among Kenya’s working class and youth.
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In 2007, Odinga’s presidential bid nearly upended incumbent Mwai Kibaki’s administration. The disputed results — 44% for Odinga and 46% for Kibaki — triggered widespread post-election violence, leaving hundreds dead. CNN noted that although Odinga was never accused of inciting the unrest, the International Criminal Court investigated several political leaders, including Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, over the bloodshed.
Following international mediation, Odinga became Prime Minister in a unity government, a position that restored calm and showcased his commitment to national reconciliation.
He contested the presidency four more times, including in 2022 when he lost to Ruto, alleging electoral fraud. “If a regime is undemocratic, the people are justified to resist,” he told the Associated Press in 2017, defending civil disobedience as a constitutional right.
Earlier in 2025, Odinga’s ambition for continental leadership faltered after he failed to clinch the African Union Commission’s top job.
Truth Live News gathered that Odinga is survived by his wife, Ida Odinga, and is remembered as a tireless advocate for democracy whose political journey mirrored Kenya’s own turbulent march toward freedom.