The Kenyan opposition figure died at 80

Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Oding has died at the age of 80, family sources told the BBC.

Oding died on Wednesday until he received medical treatment at a hospital in India.

Indian police told the AFP news agency that it was walking with family members and a personal doctor “when it suddenly collapses.” He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.

In recent weeks, there has been speculation about his health, although family members and political allies have rejected reports that suggest that he is critically ill. Politicians and other leaders, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Abius Ahmed, send their condolences.

A political mobilizer and a towering figure in Kenyan politics, Oding is running unsuccessfully for the Presidency five times. He rejected the results on any occasion, often saying that victory was stolen from him.

He was acquitted by the highest court of Kenya after the 2017 election, when he canceled Whuru Kennia’s victory and ordered new polls. However, he boycotted repetition, requiring electoral reforms.

The 2007 disputed elections, in which Oding claims to have been deceived by the victory by Mwai Kibaki, led to the biggest crisis in Kenya’s history.

Violence erupted throughout the country, which led to 1,200 deaths and about 600,000 were forced to escape from their homes.

In order to resolve the crisis, the power sharing agreement had been mediated by former UN Secretary-General Cofy Anan, which led to the formation of a government of unity, in which Oding became Prime Minister.

He has often reconciled himself to the current president after controversial elections.

After his last defeat in 2022, he later joined President William Ruto in the so-called widely-based government, which led several of his allies to key positions.

He defended this move as necessary for national unity, with last year coming after protests for national nationwide, which last year, which Chermine in the storming of parliamentS Dozens of protesters were killed in confrontations with security staff.

The Ruto Administration supported Odinga’s candidacy to become chairman of the African Union Commission in elections held earlier this year. Despite strong regional support, he lost to Mahmoud Ali Yusuf to Djibouti.

Oding inspired passionate and loyal after her political career, especially in West Kenya, where she is.

His supporters called him “Baba” (father), “Awangbo” (act of God) and “Ting” (Tractor) – derived from the symbol of his party during the 1997 election.

He was considered a major strategist and mass mobilizer, often attracted huge crowds to his political rallies and had a deep ability to connect with ordinary people.

He will be remembered for his unwavering struggle for democratic freedoms and human rights.

He was a former political prisoner and held the record for being detained by Kenya’s longest detention. His fight against one -party dictatorship saw him twice (from 1982 to 1988 and 1989 to 1991) during the reign of Daniel Arap.

He was initially closed for an attempt to make a coup in 1982, which driven him on the national scene.