Doctors from India’s Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Hospital in Kerala when they visited Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir accompanied with Raila's first born daughter Rosemary, October 30, 2025. /ABDULSWAMAD NASSIR/X
Doctors from India’s Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Hospital in Kerala, where former Prime Minister Raila Odinga had been receiving treatment before his death, have arrived in Kenya to pay their final respects.
They were received in Mombasa by Rosemary Odinga, Raila’s firstborn daughter, and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, who also serves as the deputy party leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
In a statement on Wednesday, Governor Nassir said the visiting delegation had come to honour the memory of a man whose life and influence extended far beyond Kenya’s borders.
“They are in Kenya to pay their final respects to a man whose life and legacy transcended borders. The global outpouring of love for Baba is a reflection of his extraordinary journey, one defined by courage, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to justice and humanity,” Nassir said.
Raila collapsed on the morning of October 15 and was initially treated at Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Hospital before being rushed to another facility, where he was pronounced dead after suffering a cardiac arrest.
A team of doctors at the hospital worked tirelessly to stabilise his condition before he was rushed for emergency care at the Devamatha Hospital in Koothattukulam, but efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
He was pronounced dead at around 9.52am.
Rosemary Odinga with Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir on October 30, 2025. /ABDULSWAMAD NASSIR/XThe Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Hospital holds a special place in the Odinga family’s history.
It is the same facility where Rosemary was treated after losing her sight in 2017.
She revealed on December 26, 2019, that she had fully regained her vision following two years of therapy at the centre, which specialises in traditional Ayurvedic eye treatments.
Raila’s death has drawn tributes from across the world, with leaders and citizens alike hailing his lifelong fight for democracy, equality and good governance.
His political career spanned more than four decades, during which he served as a Member of Parliament, Cabinet minister, and Prime Minister in the Grand Coalition Government.
Celebrated as a fighter for civil liberty and free democratic space, Raila was eulogised by many as a principled man both in life and death. In his will, he stated that he wanted to be buried within 72 hours of his death.
Governor Nassir said the visit by the Indian medics symbolised Raila’s enduring global connections and the depth of relationships he cultivated beyond politics.
“May his spirit continue to inspire us to build the Kenya he dreamed of – united, just, and full of hope,” Nassir added.
Raila was accorded full military honours during his state funeral at the Kang'o ka Jaramogi, the family gravesite, in Bondo, Busia county on October 19.
He was buried with his trademark white hat and flyshisk. He was 80.
