{"id":123407,"date":"2025-10-19T15:11:38","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T15:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/10\/19\/ruto-reveals-railas-final-weeks-of-illness-and-the-decision-to-evacuate-him\/"},"modified":"2025-10-19T15:11:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T15:11:38","slug":"ruto-reveals-railas-final-weeks-of-illness-and-the-decision-to-evacuate-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/ruto-reveals-railas-final-weeks-of-illness-and-the-decision-to-evacuate-him\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruto reveals Raila\u2019s final weeks of illness and the decision to evacuate him"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 19 \u2014 President William Ruto has revealed that the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga endured a prolonged and difficult battle with a serious health condition in the weeks leading up to his death, detailing efforts by his family and the government to secure specialized treatment abroad.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking on Sunday ahead of his burial, Ruto said Odinga\u2019s health had sharply deteriorated over the past six weeks, forcing him to seek medical attention in Dubai and other international hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last one and a half months were very difficult times. Every time I met Baba, his voice was hoarse. He kept telling me he was weak because of the medication he was taking, and I became very concerned,\u201d Ruto recalled.<\/p>\n

According to the President, Odinga informed him that doctors in Dubai and in American hospitals had expressed concern about his worsening condition, prompting his medical team \u2014 led by long-time physician Dr. Oluoch Olunya \u2014 to repeatedly adjust his treatment plan.<\/p>\n

Despite his illness, Ruto said Odinga remained actively engaged in national affairs.<\/p>\n

While attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, Ruto said he kept in regular contact with Odinga to monitor his progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came back from New York, he told me, \u2018Bill, I am in Malindi. The doctors have told me to rest, but I\u2019ll be back on Tuesday,\u2019\u201d Ruto recounted.<\/p>\n

The two leaders eventually met at Odinga\u2019s Karen home in Nairobi, where Mama Ida Odinga hosted a family dinner attended by Odinga\u2019s elder brother, Dr. Oburu Odinga.<\/p>\n

It was during that meeting, Ruto said, that the decision to fly the opposition chief abroad for advanced medical care was reached.<\/p>\n

Karen meeting <\/h2>\n

\u201cHe told us how he was feeling, and we all agreed we didn\u2019t want any guesswork regarding his health. We assured him the government would facilitate whatever treatment he needed. At first, he mentioned Germany and then China, but ultimately, he chose India,\u201d Ruto revealed.<\/p>\n

The President said Odinga appeared to be responding well to treatment in Kerala, India, and had even called friends and officials in Kenya to assure them of his recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe made calls saying he had been discharged and would return for follow-up treatment after six months. He even mentioned that he would pass by Dubai and attend the Siaya Investment Conference,\u201d Ruto recounted.<\/p>\n

However, Odinga\u2019s condition took a sudden turn for the worse. Ruto said he received distressing WhatsApp messages early on Wednesday morning from Dr. Oburu Odinga around 6.45am, indicating Raila\u2019s condition had deteriorated rapidly.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few minutes later, Winnie Odinga called. I told her, \u2018Please, Winnie, don\u2019t tell me any bad news.\u2019 But she said, \u2018The bad news has happened. My father is no more,\u2019\u201d Ruto said solemnly.<\/p>\n

Ruto disclosed that, in consultation with Odinga\u2019s family, he reached out to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to coordinate logistical assistance from Kochi to Mumbai. <\/p>\n

Modi, he said, responded immediately, ensuring Raila\u2019s body was accorded full diplomatic and military honors during repatriation.<\/p>\n

Describing Odinga\u2019s death as a deep personal and political loss, Ruto admitted that many analysts were right to view it as a major blow.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany commentators say this is a big blow for William Ruto. Yes, it is. It is a very big blow,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n

Odinga, 80, died on October 15 in Kochi, India, where he was receiving treatment at the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 19 \u2014 President William Ruto has revealed that the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga endured a prolonged and difficult battle with a serious health condition in the weeks leading up to his death, detailing efforts by his family and the government to secure specialized treatment abroad. Speaking on Sunday ahead of […]<\/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-123407","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\/123407","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=123407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123407\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}