Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has disclosed that doctors from the Indian hospital where the late Raila Amolo Odinga received treatment have arrived in Kenya — not for medical purposes this time, but to honour the fallen statesman who had become part of their extended family.
In a statement on Thursday, October 30, Nassir said the medical specialists from Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Hospital in Kerala, India, were accompanied by Raila’s daughter Rosemary Odinga on their visit to the Coast.
“This morning, I received Rosemary Odinga, daughter to our departed Party Leader, H.E. Raila Amolo Odinga, C.G.H., who was accompanied by doctors from Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Hospital in Kerala, India. They are in Kenya to pay their final respects to a man whose life and legacy transcended borders,” Nassir said.
The Governor described their gesture as “a touching symbol of the global bond Raila built through compassion, courage, and conviction.”
A Bond Forged in Healing
The relationship between the Odinga family and Sreedhareeyam Hospital runs deep. The Kerala-based Ayurvedic facility first became familiar to Kenyans in 2019, when Rosemary Odinga sought alternative treatment there after a partial loss of eyesight.
After unsuccessful interventions in South Africa, Israel, and China, Rosemary’s journey to India turned her life around. Following a month-long stay at the facility, she regained part of her vision and publicly expressed gratitude to the hospital’s lead specialists for what she described as “a second chance at life.”
In February 2022, Raila himself travelled with his daughter for follow-up sessions, praising the hospital’s traditional healing methods. “We have seen miracles happen here,” he said at the time, in a video that later went viral among his supporters.
The Final Visit
Three years later, in October 2025, Raila returned to the same hospital — this time as a patient. Sources close to the family confirmed that the opposition chief had checked in for age-related treatment, blending conventional and Ayurvedic therapies.
Tragically, Raila collapsed during a morning walk within the hospital’s serene campus and was rushed to Devamatha Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The arrival of the Indian doctors to Kenya — now to mourn him — marks a full circle of a bond that began with healing and ended in heartbreak.
Tributes Continue to Flow
Their arrival comes barely a day after Margaret Nyokabi, widow of the late Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagua, visited Opoda Farm in Bondo to condole with Mama Ida Odinga. She was accompanied by her daughter, Mercy, in what the ODM Party described as a moment of “historical and emotional significance.”
“Widow of the 1st Governor of Nyeri County, the late Hon. Nderitu Gachagua, Mama Margaret Nyokabi, and her daughter Mercy were at Opoda Farm in Bondo to give pole to Mama Ida Odinga and family following the passing of Baba Raila Odinga on the 15th of this month,” ODM said in a statement.
As the Odinga family continues to receive condolence visits from across the country and beyond, the presence of Raila’s Indian doctors stands out — a testament to the international reach of a man whose influence was as spiritual as it was political.
From the healing rooms of Kerala to the shores of Mombasa, Baba’s legacy continues to unite hearts across continents.
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