“It is with profound sorrow and a deep sense of loss that I learned of the passing of the Right Honourable Raila Amolo Odinga, EGH, the former Prime Minister,” said Kiir.
“The late was a distinguished Pan Africanist whose lifelong dedication to democracy, justice, and national unity made him an enduring symbol of leadership and integrity in Kenya and across Africa,” he added.
The head of state also extended his heartfelt sympathy to the immediate family of the late Odinga.
“On behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of South Sudan, and on my own behalf, I extend condolences to Your Excellency, the Government and people of Kenya, his beloved wife, Mama Idah Odinga and to the bereaved extended family. We stand with you and the people of Kenya in prayer and solidarity,” Kiir noted.
“May Almighty God grant comfort to his family and to the people of Kenya during this time of mourning, and may his soul rest in peace,” he concluded.
Odinga, the enduring symbol of Kenyan opposition politics and former Prime Minister, died on Wednesday at the age of 80 while undergoing medical treatment in Kochi, southern India.
The veteran suffered a cardiac arrest during a morning walk at an Ayurvedic hospital and was rushed to a nearby facility, where he was pronounced dead around 9 a.m. local time.
Odinga had been receiving treatment in Kerala for an undisclosed ailment, marking yet another chapter in a life defined by resilience amid health challenges and political battles.
Born on January 7, 1945, in Maseno, western Kenya, Odinga was the son of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenya’s first vice president and a towering figure in the independence struggle.
In recent years, he forged unlikely alliances, including a reconciliation with former rival Uhuru Kenyatta ahead of the 2022 polls, and later with President William Ruto, leading to Azimio la Umoja coalition members joining the cabinet.
Just months ago, in February 2025, Odinga ran for the African Union Commission chairmanship but lost to Djibouti’s Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.
When South Sudan’s opposition leader Riek Machar was first detained in March 2025, Odinga made an attempt to persuade President Salva Kiir to pursue the path of peace, though his effort was overshadowed by diplomatic complexity between Juba and Kampala.
Odinga leaves behind his wife, Ida Betty Odinga, whom he married in 1973, and their four children: Rosemary, Raila Jr., Fidel, and Winnie.
