{"id":123144,"date":"2025-10-15T13:09:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T13:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/10\/15\/modi-mourns-dear-friend-raila-as-towering-statesman-cherished-friend-of-india\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T13:09:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T13:09:39","slug":"modi-mourns-dear-friend-raila-as-towering-statesman-cherished-friend-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/modi-mourns-dear-friend-raila-as-towering-statesman-cherished-friend-of-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Modi mourns \u2018dear friend\u2019 Raila as towering statesman, cherished friend of India"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 15 \u2014 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has joined world leaders in mourning the death of Kenya\u2019s former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, describing him as a \u201ctowering statesman and a cherished friend of India.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a heartfelt tribute, Modi said he was \u201cdeeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend and former Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a towering statesman and a cherished friend of India. I had the privilege of knowing him closely since my days as Chief Minister of Gujarat, and our association continued over the years,\u201d Modi said, noting that Raila had \u201ca special affection for India, our culture, values, and ancient wisdom.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Indian leader recalled Odinga\u2019s deep admiration for Ayurveda and India\u2019s traditional medicine systems, saying he had personally witnessed their healing impact on his daughter\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was reflected in his efforts to strengthen India\u2013Kenya ties,\u201d Modi added.<\/p>\n

Odinga, 80, passed away on Tuesday in Kochi, India, where he had been undergoing treatment.<\/p>\n

His death has sent shockwaves across Africa and beyond, marking the end of a political era defined by his reformist leadership, resilience, and Pan-African vision.<\/p>\n

Following President William Ruto\u2019s announcement of a seven-day period of national mourning, the Head of State revealed that the Government of India has offered to facilitate and cover the repatriation of Odinga\u2019s remains to Kenya.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiant of democracy\u2019<\/h2>\n

Ruto dispatched Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to India to lead a high-level Kenyan delegation overseeing the process.<\/p>\n

The team includes Cabinet Secretaries Kipchumba Murkomen (Transport) and Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue Economy), parliamentary leaders, and members of the Odinga family \u2014 among them Mama Ida Odinga and Senator Oburu Odinga.<\/p>\n

President Ruto confirmed plans to accord Odinga a State Funeral with full honors, describing him as \u201ca giant of democracy, a fearless freedom fighter, and a tireless warrior for good governance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKenya, Africa, and the world mourn the passing of a beacon of courage and a father of our democracy. Raila Odinga\u2019s name will forever [be] etched in the story of our Republic,\u201d Ruto said in his national address.<\/p>\n

Odinga\u2019s relationship with India dated back decades, anchored in shared democratic ideals, cultural appreciation, and mutual respect.<\/p>\n

As a statesman, he often praised India\u2019s role in Africa\u2019s liberation movements and was instrumental in strengthening bilateral ties between Nairobi and New Delhi.<\/p>\n

During his previous visits to India, Odinga lauded the country\u2019s technological and educational advancements and consistently advocated for deeper South\u2013South cooperation.<\/p>\n

Back home, Kenya remains engulfed in grief. Flags are flying at half-mast across the country and at all Kenyan missions abroad.<\/p>\n

President Ruto has urged citizens to honor Odinga\u2019s legacy by embracing unity, peace, and patriotism \u2014 values he championed throughout his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet us come together, as he always urged us to do \u2014 not as rivals, but as brothers and sisters bound by a shared destiny,\u201d Ruto said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 15 \u2014 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has joined world leaders in mourning the death of Kenya\u2019s former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, describing him as a \u201ctowering statesman and a cherished friend of India.\u201d In a heartfelt tribute, Modi said he was \u201cdeeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123144\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}