What was supposed to be the third anniversary of the historic handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga turned out to be a serious health scare for the ODM boss.
On March 9, 2021, Raila was rushed to Nairobi Hospital.
His lead physician, Dr David Olunya, said the former Prime Minister had been rushed to hospital after complaining of fatigue.
The 76-year-old had just returned from a gruelling five-day tour of the coastal region, where he had drummed up support for the Building Bridges Initiative.
“Raila walked in for routine medical tests at The Nairobi Hospital on March 9 after fatigue. He has had a rigorous campaign and needed to have some check-ups. This was carried out successfully,” Dr Olunya, a consultant neurosurgeon, said.
Before the Mombasa tour, the ODM boss had visited Turkana, Narok and Busia without rest.
“We are continuing to monitor his condition and no doubt he will be able to address the country in due course. He is in good spirits,” he assured supporters.
Raila’s supporters were in panic mode as the country was battling a third wave of the pandemic, with positivity ranging between 11 and 13 per cent.
On April 1, Raila said, "Fellow Kenyans, I am out! God is good. Today, I have had the opportunity to leave my house since I tested positive for Covid-19."
Raila said the disease left him critically ill.
"For the past three weeks, I have been in a critical condition," he said.
"The doctors put me on some drugs for five days after I checked into the hospital. I then went back and they administered a mixture of drugs," he said.
He said he was put on oxygen for a while when he had breathing difficulties.
"I thank God for the healing, my medical team for their diligence and the ceaseless prayers from all of you," he said.
Raila's wife, Ida Odinga, later said the family panicked after Raila’s condition was made public.
She said her family was bombarded with calls from friends and relatives who wanted to know about Raila’s health.
“We panicked a bit, but we thank God that Baba is in a good mood and in good health. We need your prayers as he continues to take a rest from active physical engagements,” she said during the interview.
This was not the only instance Raila was being hospitalised.
In June last year the former Prime Minister quietly flew to Dubai where he underwent a minor surgery.
Doctors at a Dubai-based hospital identified the problem in his back.
At first, his ODM party claimed he was attending a virtual meeting at the Pan African Conference on the Grand Inga Dam in DRC Congo.
It took Raila's elder brother, Oburu Odinga, to confirm that the ex-Prime Minister was out of the country for treatment.
“Jakom [Raila] is out of the country for a minor surgical operation on his back. It is not a serious health issue, just a minor one. So, he’s okay,” Oburu said on June 25.
He returned to the country on July 12.
Edited by A.N