A Premonition of an Era's End

NAIROBI – In the weeks following the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, his long-serving aide and spokesperson, Dennis Onyango, has revealed that the opposition leader spent much of his final year methodically “putting his affairs in order.” In a series of interviews, Onyango recounted conversations and actions that suggested Mr. Odinga, who passed away at age 80, had a sense that his time was coming to an end. “From a year earlier, I told people this man seems to know his time is up,” Onyango stated in an interview with KMB Media on Wednesday, 29 October 2025. “I knew that Raila knew his time was up from the way we were talking and from the instructions he was giving.”

Tying Loose Ends

Onyango detailed a trip to Germany in February 2024, where Mr. Odinga revisited the schools he had attended decades earlier. The purpose, Onyango recalled, was to meticulously document and clarify his educational history. “During the entire tour, he kept asking if I had carried my notebook, just to make sure we got the facts right. I could see this guy wanted to tie loose ends,” Onyango said. This focus on his personal history was part of a broader pattern of preparing his legacy. Onyango recounted discussions about establishing the Raila Odinga Foundation and plans to meet with his brother, Oburu Odinga, and Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o to formalize its operations after a planned trip to India. When asked about a personal mausoleum, Mr. Odinga reportedly declined, stating, “No, we all belong to the Jaramogi Museum. It's a family museum. They have given me a corner. I will stay there.”

Final Days and National Impact

Mr. Odinga passed away from cardiac arrest on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, while undergoing Ayurvedic treatment in Kerala, India. He had been managing several chronic conditions, though Onyango noted that despite age-related ailments like back and knee pain, he remained strong and energetic, often resisting doctors' advice to rest. His death marked the end of a political career that profoundly shaped modern Kenya. Born on 7 January 1945, Raila, son of Kenya's first Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, was a central figure in the fight for multi-party democracy in the 1990s, enduring imprisonment and exile for his activism. He served as the Member of Parliament for Langata from 1992 to 2013 and as Prime Minister in the coalition government from 2008 to 2013, a position created to resolve the violent 2007 post-election crisis. His five unsuccessful presidential campaigns, most recently in 2022 as the leader of the Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition Party, consistently defined the country's political landscape.

The Political Vacuum Left Behind

The passing of 'Baba', as he was popularly known, has created a significant political vacuum in Kenya and triggered a succession battle within his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party. His sister, Ruth Odinga, has publicly called for party unity, stating it was her brother's “dying wish.” For decades, Mr. Odinga has been the undisputed leader of opposition politics, and his absence raises critical questions about the future of the Azimio coalition and the opposition's strategy ahead of the 2027 General Election. Tributes from across the continent, including from former Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, have hailed him as a great son of Africa whose contribution to democracy transcended Kenya's borders. Onyango’s reflections provide a humanizing final chapter to a public life of immense consequence, offering a glimpse of a leader who, in his final year, was as focused on his history and legacy as he had been on the nation's future.