Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who had travelled to India for treatment is dead.

The 80-year-old former PM, died on Wednesday following a cardiac arrest, police and hospital authorities said.

Odinga collapsed during a morning walk on the premises of an Ayurvedic facility and was rushed to a private hospital in Koothattukulam, where he was declared dead at around 9:52 am, local time, according to a spokesperson for the Ayurvedic eye hospital.

He had been under treatment at the facility for the last five days. He was accompanied by his daughter, Rosemary Odinga, and his personal doctor, they said.

Police confirmed that his body is currently being held at the hospital.

Following Odinga’s death, President William Ruto has convened an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council at 10:30 am.

State House says the president will also chair a special cabinet meeting at 2:30 pm.

Born in 1945 in Maseno, Kisumu County, Raila is known for his decades-long struggle for democracy, reform, and social justice after having joined politics in the late 1970s.

His political journey is deeply intertwined with Kenya’s transition to multiparty democracy. In 1982, following the failed coup attempt against President Daniel Arap Moi’s regime, he was detained without trial for nearly eight years, accused of involvement in the plot. His imprisonment and subsequent detentions cemented his image as a reformist and defender of democracy.

In the 1990s, he became a leading voice in the push for multiparty democracy, aligning with movements such as FORD (Forum for the Restoration of Democracy). He later joined and led several political parties, including the National Development Party (NDP) and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

Raila has contested the presidency five times, in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022, coming close to victory multiple times. The 2007 election was particularly contentious, sparking post-election violence that left over 1,000 people dead. He later served as Prime Minister (2008–2013) in a coalition government with President Mwai Kibaki, following a peace accord brokered by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

This is a developing news story…