Researched by Alfa Shaban
Kenya was thrown into mourning on October 15, 2025, when the news of the death of its iconic opposition leader, Raila Amolo Odinga, was announced by the Odinga family.
The one-time Prime Minister (2008-2013) and leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) died at the age of 80 in an Indian hospital where he was seeking treatment for a heart-related ailment.
The three-day national day of mourning declared by President William Ruto, comprising a memorial in the capital Nairobi, a funeral and burial in his native town of Bondo in the country’s west, with several online activities debating the legacy of Odinga and his place in Kenyan politics.
GhanaFact fact-checked two major instances of misinformation that went viral on social media platforms.
Claim 1 – Fake Arsenal tribute
Raila Odinga was known to be a big supporter of the North London-based club Arsenal, often celebrating their victories, watching matches live at the Emirates Stadium and speaking fondly about the club in interviews.
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Shortly after news of his demise was announced, a purported tribute issued by the club was circulated on Facebook and X. Odinga’s party, ODM, shared the image via their official X account.
Fact-check
We ran checks on all of Arsenal’s known social media accounts – Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok none of them had published the said statement. We also checked the club’s website and did not find the said statement.
We observed that the ODM handle subsequently deleted the post of the alleged statement.
Therefore, the claim is false.
Claim 2 – Image of a packed stadium at Odinga’s funeral
An image of a packed stadium went viral on social media platforms, with the narrative suggesting that it was an image taken from an Odinga funeral event.
Among the accounts that shared the image was politician AliNur Mohammed, who captioned his October 18 post on X as “Baba is the greatest Kenyan in life & death.”
Odinga’s daughter Winnie also posted the image on Facebook on October 18 to thank Kenyans for their support. The post had been liked 22,000 times, attracted 1,300 comments and 185 shares.
Fact-check
GhanaFact analysed the field captured in the viral image and compared it with the three other locations where memorial events were held for the late Raila Odinga. The field in question was a round-shaped, open-roofed stadium, which also had a round inner perimeter.
Public events for Odinga took place at four different locations, two in the capital Nairobi and one each in Kisumu and Siaya counties.
| Date | Event | Venue | County |
| October 16, 2025 | Public viewing | Moi International Sports Centre | Nairobi |
| October 17, 2025 | National funeral | Nyayo National Stadium | Nairobi |
| October 18, 2025 | Public viewing | Jomo Kenyatta Stadium, Mamboleo | Kisumu |
| October 19, 2025 | Final funeral, burial | Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University | Siaya |
From our analysis of aerial shots of the different venues, none of them had a circular inner perimeter as captured in the viral image.
We also ran the image through Google AI detection platform, Google SynthID, and it returned a result that parts of the image were created with Artificial Intelligence (AI). “SynthID detected in all or part of the uploaded content,” the platform said, adding that the SynthID’s confidence in the result was “very high.”
Verdict
The image was AI-generated. Google Reverse Image Searches did not trace it to any previously existing image.
AI-generated image of Odinga’s final moments in India – Africa Check report
An Africa Check report also uncovered how an AI-generated video in the wake of Raila’s death was falsely being circulated as showing the moments after he died.
“Shortly after news outlets confirmed his death, a video seemingly showing his body being covered with a sheet on a hospital bed started circulating online. But the video was AI-generated.
“The “medical staff” around Odinga have visibly deformed fingers and an oversized hand – telltale signs of AI manipulation. A reverse image search revealed the video was created from a photo first published in 2017 when Odinga was hospitalised in Mombasa for suspected food poisoning,” the report captured in Africa Check’s weekly newsletter added.
About Raila Amolo Odinga
Raila Amolo Odinga, born on January 7, 1945, was the son of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenya’s first post-independence Vice-President, and Mary Juma Odinga (also called Mary Ajuma).
With a history of political activism in the 1970s and 80s, he got arrested multiple times for opposing one-party rule, at one point going into a brief exile (political asylum) in Norway in 1991. He joined multi-party politics in 1992 upon his return and was elected a Member of Parliament for Lang’ata Constituency. He also served as Minister for Energy and Minister for Roads, Public Works and Housing in different governments.
Raila contested presidential elections five times, in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022. Raila was appointed Prime Minister on April 17, 2008, a role he held from 2008 to 2013, under a power-sharing arrangement with then President Mwai Kibaki. After the position of Prime Minister was abolished under the 2010 Constitution, he continued as a key opposition figure.
He remained active in politics, contesting further elections and being involved in party coalitions through his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). The coalitions are CORD, NASA and Azimio la Umoja. Raila Odinga succumbed to cardiac arrest on October 15, 2025, in Kochi, India, where he was undergoing medical attention.
The former Prime Minister was married to Ida Odinga (née Anyango Oyoo), and had four children. He became known to many Kenyans as “Baba” (meaning “father”) and was a master orator gifted with exceptional mass mobilisation and political organisation abilities.
