Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s family member and a cardiologist who attended to him at a hospital in India have recounted desperate attempts to save his life in the final moments.
As Kenyans were preparing to report to their workplaces on Wednesday morning, the Devamatha Hospital in Kerala, Southern India was buzzed with urgency. Odinga, Kenya’s former Prime Minister, had just been wheeled into the facility after suffering a cardiac arrest during a morning walk at about 8.30 am (6am Kenyan time).
By his side were his personal doctor and security personnel Maurice Ogeta. The two had just administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Odinga remained unresponsive, prompting them to rush him to the facility, which was the nearest private hospital. They were tensed but focused to save the veteran politician.
An Indian police official said Odinga had been on a morning walk, accompanied by his sister Ruth, daughter Winnie, a personal doctor, and Indian and Kenyan security officers, when he collapsed.
At the facility, a team of doctors rushed, and immediately took over the resuscitation efforts. At the time of admission, Odinga had no pulse or measurable blood pressure upon arrival, the doctor said.
‘Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga was brought to our casualty emergency wing with a history of sudden collapse during his morning walk,’ a cardiologist, only identified as Dr Alphons said.
‘They had already started CPR. His doctor and security personnel were with him. We continued CPR and performed emergency intubation – inserting a tube into the respiratory system – and continued CPR along with other resuscitative measures,’ she said.
She explained, ‘After stabilising him with IV fluids, we administered an injection to dissolve any possible clot in the coronary arteries.’
When in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the medics in the room momentarily detected a heart rhythm. The beeping then faltered, followed by heartbeat flat line on the screen.
Odinga had breathed his last some minutes before 10am. The medics also observed swelling in his lower right leg. His personal physician informed them that he had a history of diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease.
He had previously been treated for deep vein thrombosis. He had an inferior ven cav filtered inserted in the vein.
‘Recently, he had a thin subdural hematoma, which was detected last Saturday,’ the cardiologist said.
Odinga’s elder brother, Dr Oburu Oginga, also revealed that Odinga was in good health until Tuesday. He disclosed that they had a conversation that night.
‘I informed you before that he was well and kicking about and that he would be back in the country. That was not a lie; it was the truth,’ Dr Oburu said.
‘He was very well until last night – I spoke to him. He was vibrant, up and kicking. It is very unfortunate that this morning he suffered shock, which is suspected after the postmortem to be a heart attack,’ he said.
According to Dr Mohamed Hasham Varwani, an interventional cardiologist at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, what follows a cardiac arrest is a sudden collapse, loss of consciousness and stoppage of breathing.
‘Without quick action especially CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitations that mainly entail chest compressions) and use of a defibrillator which can apply an electric shock to the heart, a cardiac arrest can cause death within minutes,’ said Dr Varwani.
‘Acting quickly can make the difference between life and death. Every minute without CPR or defibrillation reduces the chances of survival by about 10 per cent.’ On October 11, Dr Oginga had told the media that the latter was ‘a bit indisposed, just like every human being sometimes becomes indisposed’.
‘He went for check-ups, it’s finished, he’s now just recuperating. Very soon, he will be back; up and about, kicking,’ he said.
That was not to be.
Also, this was not the first time Dr Oginga was discussing his younger brother’s hospitalisation. In 2020, when Odinga went to Dubai for treatment, it was his elder brother who spoke to the media about the swirling rumours. ‘
Jakom (Raila) is out of the country for a minor surgical operation on his back. It is not a serious health issue, but just a minor one. So, he’s okay,’ Dr Oginga told journalists in June 2020.
Later, in an interview with Nation, Odinga revealed that he had an issue with his spine.
‘The doctors told me it is called Spinal Canal Stenosis,’ he said, referring to a condition that causes the narrowing of the spaces within the spine and which can be painful in some instances.
‘What they did for me in Dubai is a minor procedure. It’s called lumbar decompression and fusion.The operation itself takes some few hours and then you need time to recuperate,’ he added.
In March 2021, Dr Oginga was also in the news after responding to talks about his brother’s hospitalisation. He denied that Odinga had contracted Covid-19, but the fact was later confirmed.
A decade earlier, in 2010, when Odinga was the Prime Minister, he underwent a surgery at the Nairobi Hospital to remove fluid on his brain.
Neurosurgeon Oluoch Olunya described the operation as ‘minor’ and which was meant to relieve pressure that had built up outside Odinga’s brain.
Odinga’s burial plans
Raila Odinga is to be given a state funeral with full honours.
President William Ruto has declared seven days of national mourning, with flags at half mast.
Burial is scheduled for October 19, 2025. The burial site is Opoda Farm, Bondo in Siaya County, his home area.