Doctor Who Attended to Raila Reveals Final Moments Before His Death and the Battle to Save His Life

KOCHI, INDIA — Inside the quiet corridors of Devamatha Hospital in Kerala, the final moments of Raila Amolo Odinga — one of Africa’s most enduring political figures — were marked by urgency, panic, and desperate medical intervention.

Dr. Alphons Mathew, the cardiologist who led the emergency response, recounted the dark moments before the former Prime Minister’s death, describing an intense battle to save a man who had, for decades, defined Kenya’s political destiny.

“Considering all the circumstances, we performed continuous CPR — cardiopulmonary resuscitation — and applied all available cardiac emergency procedures,” Dr. Alphons told Reuters on Wednesday.

“Despite our very sincere and persistent efforts, including other medical measures, we were unable to save him. We are deeply sorry to inform you that he is no longer with us.”

Raila, 80, had been in India for routine medical treatment and was staying at an Ayurvedic wellness facility in Kochi.

According to hospital and police sources, he set out for his usual morning walk at around 8:30 a.m., accompanied by his sister, daughter, personal physician, and security detail. Moments into the walk, he suddenly collapsed.

“He was immediately attended to by his Kenyan doctor and Indian paramedics stationed nearby,” said Krishnan M, the Additional Superintendent of Police in Ernakulam.

“He was rushed to a nearby private hospital but was declared dead shortly after arrival.”

Doctors at Devamatha Hospital confirmed that Raila had suffered a severe cardiac arrest — a sudden failure of the heart’s electrical system — and did not respond to resuscitation. “We worked on him continuously for several minutes,” Dr. Alphons said, “but there was no cardiac activity despite the interventions.”

Footage later shared by Reuters showed Raila’s body being wheeled out of the hospital, wrapped in a green cloth, as a somber group of medics and aides watched in silence.

The death of the long-serving opposition leader has plunged Kenya into mourning.

A statesman who served as Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 and ran for president five times, Raila Odinga was widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Kenya’s post-independence politics — a symbol of resilience and reform.

Back home, President William Ruto led the nation in grief, declaring seven days of national mourning and announcing that Odinga would be accorded a State funeral.

“As a mark of respect, I have postponed all my public engagements for the coming days,” President Ruto said in a televised address from State House, Nairobi.

“I ask all other public servants and leaders to do the same so that we can join the nation in this period of mourning and deep reflection. Our former Prime Minister, Raila Amolo Odinga, shall be accorded a State funeral with all attendant honours, in consultation with his family.”

Flags across Kenya and in diplomatic missions abroad are flying at half-mast as tributes continue to pour in from across the world.

In Kochi, Dr. Alphons and his team — now etched in Kenya’s collective memory — quietly reflect on the morning they fought, and failed, to save one of Africa’s political giants.

“He was a man of great presence, even in illness,” said one nurse who assisted in the emergency. “Everyone in that room could feel the weight of who he was.”

Raila Odinga’s body is expected to be flown back to Kenya later this week, where he will be laid to rest according to his wishes — within 72 hours of his passing.