Nairobi (AFP) - Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has died at the age of 80 during a health visit to India, local police said Wednesday – a political earthquake that could transform politics in the east African nation.

Odinga was the perennial opposition figure of Kenyan politics, running unsuccessfully for the presidency on five occasions, most recently in 2022.

Affectionately known as “Baba” (father) by many Kenyans, he remained a dominant force, able to rally huge numbers particularly from his native western Kenya.

Indian police told AFP he was walking with his sister, daughter and a personal doctor at an Ayurvedic clinic in Kerala state “when he suddenly collapsed”.

“He was rushed to a nearby private hospital, but was declared dead,” police additional superintendent Krishnan M said.

President William Ruto arrived at Odinga’s family home in Nairobi, where an announcement was due shortly and where supporters were wailing with grief.

“How are we going to survive without him? We are shaking,” Anima Ferrari, Odinga’s head of protocol, told AFP in tears.

AFP journalists reported looting breaking out in the Nairobi informal settlement of Kibera, an Odinga stronghold, while mourners blocked roads in his original home state of Kisumu in western Kenya.

- ‘Influential player’ -

Born on January 7, 1945, Odinga spent his early years in politics either in jail or in exile, fighting for democracy during the autocratic rule of president Daniel arap Moi.

A member of the Luo tribe, he entered parliament in 1992 and ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022, claiming to have been cheated of victory in the last four elections.

The biggest unrest came after the 2007 election, considered deeply flawed by independent observers, that triggered ethnic violence in which more than 1,100 people died.

Odinga cast himself as an anti-establishment firebrand despite belonging to one of Kenya’s top political dynasties. His father served as the first vice president after independence in 1963.

His death leaves a leadership vacuum in the opposition, and it is far from clear if anyone can match his ability to mobilise as the country heads into a potentially volatile campaign ahead of elections in 2027.

“The country loses one of its most influential political players. A great man who did great things,” political analyst Barrack Muluka told AFP.

“He had a broad national appeal. None of this can be said of anyone else,” he added.

Odinga was “a patriot, a pan-Africanist, a democrat and a leader who made significant contributions to democracy in Kenya and in Africa,” said David Maraga, former chief justice and current presidential candidate, on X.

His popularity took a hit in recent years, however, as ill-health and age weakened his famed speaking abilities.

Odinga’s decision to forge alliances with political rivals – then-president Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018 and current president Ruto last year – were unpopular with some supporters and left the country without an effective opposition.

Since Odinga almost single-handedly drove the political alliance with Ruto, it is now “dead and buried”, Muluka told AFP, leaving the country on an uncertain path.

- ‘Visionary’ -

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed offered “sincere condolences” on X, while Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh said Kenya had lost “a visionary leader”.

A spokesman for the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Kerala said Odinga had experienced “breathing difficulties and collapsed”.

“He was provided CPR on the spot and having seen some sign of recovery, he was rushed to the nearest modern hospital. Despite repeated efforts by the medics, his condition deteriorated and the doctors were unable to save him,” the spokesman said.

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