Kenya: Raila Odinga – A Fighter for Democracy, With Lessons for Other Leaders

The recent death of Raila Odinga, the leader of one of Kenya’s largest political parties and a five time presidential candidate, brings to an end the life of one of Kenya’s most iconic and seminal politicians. A long time pro-democracy advocate, Raila led the successful struggle to end years of one party rule in Kenya and to elevate the country’s democratic foundations.

As democratic backsliding accelerates across Africa, Odinga’s commitment to democracy should serve as a reminder of the challenges to maintaining Kenya’s democratic trajectory as well as throw a spotlight on the democratic backsliding underway in neighboring Tanzania and Uganda.

Odinga’s commitment to democracy principles throws a positive spotlight on Kenya and a deepening shadow on backsliding in neighboring Tanzania and Uganda.

Raila Odinga was a formidable figure in Kenya’s political development. During his funeral and burial ceremonies, millions of Kenyans from all walks of life thronged the streets of Nairobi and Kisumu to pay their last respects to a leader many regarded as the “People’s President” and also a man who embodied their political and democratic aspirations.

Odinga was born into a prominent left-leaning political family and educated as a mechanical engineer in the former communist East Germany, but he began his political career during the turbulent 1980s as a young lecturer at the University of Nairobi fighting for greater political and democratic freedoms.

His early activism earned him a lengthy detention following a 1982 military coup attempt, leading to a brief exile in Uganda and later in Norway. Upon his return home, he was active in the early ’90s in a group known as the “Young Turks,” organizing political demonstrations, challenging government crackdowns and demanding greater political freedoms.

Odinga played a pivotal role in the repeal of Section 2A of Kenya’s constitution, which ended single party rule and restored multi-party politics — probably the country’s most significant event in the past three and a half decades and an event that put Kenya on a strong upward democratic trajectory.

With newly gained freedom to organize politically, Odinga shifted from activism to electoral politics, initially under the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD) and later forming a splinter party, the National Democratic Party (NDP). His re-invention as a political figure brought him increasingly into the center of Kenyan politics. Although he retained close ties to his political base and his activist political streak, he enthusiastically embraced electoral politics. He served in parliament for close to two decades, held senior ministerial positions in several different Kenyan governments and ran for president multiple times – a position that eluded him.

Odinga’s political journey was not without turbulence. In 2007-2008, Kenya experienced widespread political violence following a contested election that many believe Odinga won. Although Odinga was not responsible for the violence, the fallout from the flawed elections resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Kenyans, the displacement over 400,000 thousand others, and millions of dollars in destruction. Odinga ultimately agreed to relinquish his claim to the presidency and, after negotiations with the new president, he agreed to serve as Kenya’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013.

During his tenure as Prime Minister, Odinga spearheaded numerous reforms, advocating for government decentralization to improve services and resources for the country’s citizens. His efforts culminated in the adoption of Kenya’s 2010 constitution, reorganizing the country into 47 regional counties with elected governors and assembly members, and a high degree of fiscal autonomy on local issues. The new constitution also established a stronger bill of rights and political freedoms for Kenyans —principles that Odinga regarded as essential in maintaining and strengthening Kenya’s democracy.

On the losing side of three subsequent presidential campaigns, Odinga grumbled and contested his losses, sometimes mobilizing his angry followers to stand with him. As post-election tensions simmered, Raila most often went to court to adjudicate his claims of irregularities.

Bruised by his presidential defeats and judicial losses, Odinga nevertheless remained deeply committed to Kenya’s political system, constitutional rule and multiparty democracy. He traveled abroad to lead Carter Center and African Union (AU) delegations to monitor democratic elections in countries like Mozambique and Lesotho and served as a special envoy to build consensus in several countries after disputed elections.

He challenged the “winner takes all” convention as deeply flawed and advocated greater power sharing.

Although some of his critics and former allies questioned his shifting alliances with various political leaders and governments, he argued that coalitions and alliances were good things. They reduced the kind of political conflicts that had torn Kenya apart in 2007 and 2008. He challenged the prevailing democratic convention of “winner takes all” as deeply flawed and advocated for greater power sharing.

Kenya’s last presidential and parliamentary elections in August 2022 were Raila’s last attempt to win the presidency. Those elections were some of Africa’s best and most transparent. Vote tabulations were done openly; and results were posted locally and digitally transmitted to the national counting center, where they were simultaneously accessible to the public and the press. Raila Odinga lost that election, but he did not give up on multiparty democracy, transparent elections or election observation.

As Kenya mourns Odinga’s unexpected passing, his enduring commitment to democratic principles throws a positive spotlight on Kenya’s continued democratic growth and a deepening shadow on the current democratic backsliding in neighboring Tanzania and Uganda.

In Tanzania, the country’s October 2025 presidential and parliament elections have set back democratic progress and will almost certainly be assessed universally as unfair and deeply flawed. The main opposition party, Chadema, was barred from participation and the party’s presidential candidate, Tundu Lissu was jailed for treason seven months before the election was held. A second opposition presidential candidate, Luhaga Mpine was prevented from running just weeks before the vote was to take place. Although Chama Cha Mapenduzi might have won in a free and transparent process, Tanzania’s president was not going to take a chance. The aftermath of that election has resulted in numerous deaths and tarnished the country’s democratic credentials.

And in Uganda, where presidential and parliamentary elections are slated for January 2026, the prospects for impartial elections are not good. Violence has marred each of the last three presidential elections and the main opposition candidate in each of those contests has been harassed, detained and beaten up.

In Uganda’s 2011 and 2016, the principal presidential opposition candidate, Dr. Kizza Besigye, was assaulted, intimidated and arrested on multiple occasions and in the aftermath of the 2011 was forced to seek medical attention outside of Uganda for abuse suffered at the hands of Ugandan police. In Uganda’s last national elections in January 2021 national elections, soldiers patrolled the streets of the capital, public demonstrations were curtailed, and dozens of people were killed in pre-election violence. The main opposition candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi (popularly known as Bobi Wine) , was detained and placed under house arrest for weeks.

Uganda’s current president, Africa’s second longest serving head of state, has been in power for four decades and it is unlikely that the results of the next election cycle will be any different than earlier ones.

Raila Odinga believed in democracy, elections and the right of citizens to select their leaders – even when he lost.

Raila Odinga believed in democracy, elections and the right of citizens to select their leaders – even when he lost. He also believed in presidential term limits – which he worked hard to enshrine in Kenya’s 1992 and 2010 constitutions. For him, politics and democracy were not about one-party rule, presidential leadership for life, or personal enrichment.

Raila Odinga was not a perfect politician, but in the wake of his death, his commitment to fundamental democratic principles should be remembered and serve as a standard for other politicians and political leaders across East Africa.

By Allafrica