At the age of 80, Raila Amollo Odinga, the enigma of Kenyan politics, has joined the list of Kenya’s most senior politicians who have died while receiving medical care outside the country.
Following a cardiac arrest, Raila Odinga was pronounced dead on 15 October 2025 at Devamatha Hospital in Koothattukulam, Kerala, India.
For a politician in the league of Raila Odinga, whose latest attempt to become the AU Chair was thwarted by Africa’s Francophone influence, his death in a foreign country raises concern, given that he fought for a better healthcare system in Kenya for the better part of his political life.
As prime minister under the Grand Coalition Government, he championed reforms in the Ministry of Health that later laid the groundwork for Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) pilot programmes.
In various political campaigns, including the 2022 and 2027 elections, he consistently promoted healthcare as a key pillar, calling for free maternal care, NHIF reforms, and upgraded public hospitals.
According to reports, Raila Odinga died from cardiac arrest, medically described as a sudden and severe emergency in which the heart stops beating effectively, preventing blood from flowing to the brain, lungs, and other vital organs.
Apart from the fact that many Kenyan politicians seek medical attention overseas because they can afford the high cost of international healthcare, the late Raila Amollo Odinga, in 2009, made a critical observation about what may be ailing Kenya’s healthcare system to the extent that Kenyans are forced to travel abroad for services that properly trained local healthcare workers can competently provide, without one purchasing an air ticket to India, London, or other countries boasting advanced medical systems.
According to Raila Amollo Odinga, Kenyan leadership must work towards stopping what he referred to as “brain drain,” which poses a threat to Kenya’s healthcare system.
“The government spends a lot of money to train just one doctor. Yet those doctors leave almost immediately for greener pastures abroad, leaving us exposed. It is a trend we must reverse,” Raila lamented at the time when he was serving as the prime minister, under the coalition government.
Vindicating Raila Odinga’s observation, a report by Health Business notes there are close to 4,000 Kenyan doctors abroad, about 2,733 in the UK, 865 in the US, and 180 in Canada.
Another source, EQUINET, claims that of around 7,830 certified medical doctors in Kenya, many are working abroad, mainly due to better pay, professional growth, and superior healthcare systems. In Kenya, nepotism can prevent qualified doctors from being employed or supported to advance professionally.
Kenya’s healthcare system, though improving, still lacks advanced facilities for managing complex conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and organ failure.
While some Kenyan leaders prefer receiving treatment abroad to avoid public scrutiny or to conceal the severity of their illnesses from the media and rivals, Raila Odinga was never a fan of medical tourism. He only travelled to Dubai in 2020 for a minor back surgery at a German-run facility.
In death, Raila Odinga joins the ranks of former Vice President Michael Kijana Wamalwa, who died at London’s Royal Free Hospital while receiving treatment in 2003, and Kenya’s Third First Lady, Mama Lucy Kibaki, who passed away on 26 April 2016 at Bupa Cromwell Hospital in London.
As the country comes to terms with the loss of one of Africa’s most respected champions of democracy and good governance, perhaps it is also time to reflect on the need to safeguard Africa’s best minds, especially in the healthcare sector, where the lives of both the rich and the poor should hold equal value.
