Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga dies aged 80

Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has died at the age of 80, according to his family.

Odinga died in India where he has been receiving medical treatment.

Kenyans in the past weeks have been speculating about his health.

Odinga's family members and political allies have been dismissing these reports that suggested he was critically ill. 

A political mobiliser and towering figure in Kenyan politics, Odinga ran unsuccessfully for the presidency five times. 

He rejected the presidential elections results on each occasion, often saying that victory had been stolen from him.

He was vindicated by Kenya's highest court after the 2017 elections, when it annulled Uhuru Kenyatta's victory and ordered fresh polls. However, he boycotted the rerun, demanding electoral reforms.

The disputed election of 2007, in which Odinga claimed he was cheated of victory by Mwai Kibaki, led to the biggest crisis in Kenya's history.

Violence erupted around the country, leading to the death of 1,200 and about 600,000 people were forced to flee their homes.

To resolve the crisis, a power-sharing agreement was brokered by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, thus a formation of a unity government in which Odinga became prime minister.

He has often reconciled with the incumbent president after contentious elections.

After his most recent defeat in 2022, he joined President William Ruto in a so-called broad-based government, which brought several of his allies into key government positions.

He defended the move as necessary for national unity, coming in the aftermath of watershed nationwide protests in July 2024.

The Ruto administration backed Odinga's bid to become chairperson of the African Union Commission, in elections held earlier this year, but he lost lost to Djibouti's Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.

His supporters called him "Baba" (Father), "Agwambo" (Act of God), and "Tinga Tinga" (Tractor) - drawn from his party's symbol during the 1997 elections.

Odinga was widely regarded as a master strategist and mass mobiliser, often drawing huge crowds to his political rallies, and he had a deep ability to connect with ordinary people.

He will be remembered for his unwavering fight for democratic freedoms and human rights.

Raila Odinga was a former political prisoner, and holds the record for being Kenya's longest-serving detainee. 

His struggle against one-party dictatorship saw him detained twice from 1982 - 1988 and 1989 -1991 during president Daniel arap Moi's rule.

He was initially imprisoned for trying to stage a coup in 1982, which propelled him on to the national stage.