Odinga died on
Wednesday while receiving medical treatment at a hospital in India.
Indian police
told AFP he was walking with his sister, daughter, and a personal doctor
"when he suddenly collapsed".
"An Indian
police security officer and a Kenyan security officer were also with them at
the time. He was rushed to a nearby private hospital, but was declared
dead," the police source said.
In recent
weeks, there has been speculation about his health, although family members and
political allies had dismissed reports suggesting he was critically ill.
A political
mobiliser and towering figure in Kenyan politics, Odinga ran unsuccessfully for
the presidency five times. He rejected the results on each occasion, often
saying that victory had been stolen from him.
He was
vindicated by Kenya's highest court after the 2017 elections, when it annulled
Uhuru Kenyatta's victory and ordered fresh polls. However, he boycotted the
rerun, demanding electoral reforms.
He has often
reconciled with the incumbent president after contentious elections.
After his most
recent defeat in 2022, he later joined President William Ruto in a so-called
broad-based government, which brought several of his allies into key positions.
He defended the
move as necessary for national unity, coming in the aftermath of watershed
nationwide protests last year that culminated in the storming of parliament.
Dozens of protesters were killed in confrontations with security officers. BBC
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