Statecraft & Independence
Landmark
Raila Odinga
1945 – 2025
Five presidential campaigns, and Kenya's pro-democracy figurehead
Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the Kenya Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
He ran for president five times and never won, and did more than anyone alive to force Kenya into multiparty democracy. He died in October 2025.
Raila Odinga was a Kenyan opposition leader and pro-democracy campaigner, and served as prime minister from 2008 to 2013.
He waged five unsuccessful presidential campaigns between 1997 and 2022. He died in October 2025 at the age of eighty, and was buried at his family's homestead in Bondo.
He waged five unsuccessful presidential campaigns between 1997 and 2022. He died in October 2025 at the age of eighty, and was buried at his family's homestead in Bondo.
- Al Jazeera — Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga dies
- Al Jazeera — Kenya's revered opposition leader Raila Odinga laid to rest
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