Raila Odinga: A Glimpse into Kenya’s Iconic Opposition Leader

Raila Odinga was a Kenyan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He was a key figure in Kenyan politics for over four decades, known for his advocacy of democracy, electoral justice, and social equality. Odinga was also the Leader of Opposition in Kenya since 2013 and led the Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition Party. He ran for the presidency five times but never won, sparking several violent outbreaks due to alleged electoral fraud.

Born on January 7, 1945, in Maseno, Kenya, Odinga came from a prominent political family. His father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, was Kenya’s first Vice President. Raila Odinga’s legacy is marked by his fight for democracy, multiparty politics, and social justice. He played a crucial role in shaping Kenya’s political landscape, including the 2010 constitution reforms.

Odinga passed away on October 15, 2025, at the age of 80, due to cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment in India. His death has sparked widespread tributes and condolences from leaders across Africa and beyond.

Raila Odinga, former Kenya’s iconic opposition leader and former Prime Minister, for long embodied the struggle for democracy, but the physical toll of his activism left lasting scars.

His 2010 diagnosis of hydrocephalus—a life-threatening buildup of fluid in the brain—has been linked to the brutal torture he endured during nearly six years of detention under President Daniel arap Moi’s Nyayo regime in the 1980s.

Odinga’s ordeal began in August 1982, when he was arrested on baseless charges of involvement in a failed coup against Moi’s government.

Detained without trial until 1988 in harsh facilities like Kamiti Maximum Prison and Shimo la Tewa, Odinga faced relentless physical and psychological abuse.

In his 2013 autobiography, The Flame of Freedom, he describes a brutal interrogation where Special Branch officer Josiah Kipkurui Rono beat his head and shoulders with a broken table leg, leaving him dazed and collapsed.

Further assaults targeted his chest and genitals, causing severe trauma. Neurologists note that such repeated blows to the head can lead to traumatic brain injuries, a known precursor to hydrocephalus even decades later.

Hydrocephalus, marked by excessive cerebrospinal fluid pressing against the brain, triggers intense headaches, fatigue, and potential neurological damage. In June 2010, Odinga underwent emergency surgery at Nairobi Hospital, where neurosurgeon Oluoch Olunya drained the fluid through a small skull incision.

While initially attributed to a minor head injury from a car accident weeks prior, the severe head trauma from 1982 is now considered a significant contributing factor.

“Blunt force trauma to the head, as described in Mr. Odinga’s accounts, can disrupt the brain’s ability to regulate fluid, leading to conditions like hydrocephalus years later,” said Dr. Michael Okoth, a Nairobi-based neurologist. “The latency of symptoms is not uncommon in such cases.”

The torture extended beyond physical violence. Odinga endured solitary confinement in dark, flooded cells, starvation, and psychological torment, including being denied contact with his family and barred from attending his mother’s funeral. These conditions likely amplified the long-term health impacts of his injuries.

Released in 1988 amid international outcry, Odinga carried forward the physical and emotional scars of his detention till death