Supporters of the late ODM leader Raila Odinga flocked to his Karen residence on Wednesday, October 15, following reports of his death.
Videos shared online showed a large number of vehicles parked along the road leading to the former Prime Minister’s home.
Scores of his supporters, many on foot, could be seen making their way to the residence while waving tree twigs and blowing vuvuzelas.
Supporters Throng Raila’s Karen Home Following His Demise. Photo: Courtesy.
Others could be heard wailing, while police officers, some on foot and others on motorbikes, were deployed to maintain order as crowds continued to gather outside the Karen compound.
Raila, who served as Kenya’s second Prime Minister, passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 80.
According to reports, he collapsed during a morning walk at an Ayurvedic treatment facility in Kerala’s Ernakulam district and was rushed to a private hospital in Koothattukulam, where he was pronounced dead at 7:22 am.
Born in January 1945, Raila is one of Kenya’s longest-serving politicians, having joined politics in the early 1980s to oppose President Daniel arap Moi’s rule.
He was detained for six years without trial over his political activities and later went into exile in Norway before returning in 1992.
Since then, Raila has served as Lang’ata MP, Cabinet Minister, and Prime Minister in the grand coalition government formed after the 2007 post-election violence.
He has contested the presidency five times — in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022 — and in February 2025, unsuccessfully vied for the African Union Commission Chairperson seat.
Raila leaves behind a widow and three children.
