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Raila Odinga

2nd Prime Minister of Kenya

Raila Amolo Odinga was a Kenyan politician, anti-colonial political heir, and pro-democracy reformer who served as the 2nd Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. As the son of independence icon Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, he established himself as the central titan of Kenyan opposition politics over a career spanning five decades—surviving years of state-sponsored political detention, exile, and repeated electoral disputes. Revered as the foundational architect of the country’s 2010 Constitution and its 47 devolved county structures, Odinga’s tactical agility allowed him to mobilize millions of followers while repeatedly engineering political handshakes that stabilized the state during severe national crises. Until his death in October 2025.

Quick facts about Raila Odinga

  1. Born on January 7, 1945, in Maseno, Kenya, to Mary Ajuma and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenya's first Vice President. His name "Raila" is of Luo origin, signifying a "pathfinder" or "one who breaks new ground," while his widely used monikers include "Agwambo" (Luo for "The Unpredictable One" or "The Mystery") and "Baba" (Father).
  2. He was arrested and charged with treason following the August 1, 1982 failed military coup attempt against President Daniel arap Moi, subsequently enduring over six years of imprisonment without trial, solitary confinement, and severe torture before fleeing into political exile in Norway in 1991.
  3. He served as the 2nd Prime Minister of Kenya from April 17, 2008, to April 9, 2013, within a power-sharing National Unity Government negotiated alongside President Mwai Kibaki by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to quell the violent 2007–2008 post-election crisis.
  4. He spearheaded the historic campaign that passed the 2010 Constitution of Kenya, fundamentally dismantling imperial presidential authority, introducing a 47-county devolved system of governance, and embedding an independent bill of rights.
  5. He mounted five contested presidential bids (1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022), alleging systematic state-sponsored electoral fraud in four; notably forcing the Supreme Court of Kenya to nullify the 2017 presidential election result in a landmark precedent for the African continent.
  6. He orchestrated historic political realignments that reshaped state power, including the 2002 NARC opposition sweep ("Kibaki Tosha"), the March 2018 "Handshake" with President Uhuru Kenyatta, and a July 2024 broad-based arrangement with President William Ruto that incorporated key Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) figures into cabinet.
  7. He passed away at the age of 80 on October 15, 2025, in Kerala, India, while undergoing medical treatment, triggering nationwide mourning and a state funeral honoring his legacy as Kenya's premier champion of multi-party democracy and civil rights.

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