About Raila Odinga
Raila Amolo Odinga (7 January 1945 – 15 October 2025) was a Kenyan politician who served as Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013. He was also the leader of Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition Party. Odinga ran for President of Kenya five times, with none of his attempts being successful. Each time, Odinga alleged electoral fraud. In 1997, Odinga finished third as the candidate of the National Development Party (NDP). In 2007, he ran again for the presidency under the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and lost to Mwai Kibaki. In 2013, 2017, and 2022, Odinga was the runner-up as a candidate for the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), National Super Alliance (NASA), and Azimio la Umoja, respectively. After his loss, Odinga filed for petition against President-elect William Ruto at the Supreme Court of Kenya. The court decided against him, and Odinga pledged to respect its ruling. In February 2024, he announced his candidacy for the African Union Commission Chairperson but was defeated by Mahamoud Ali Youssouf in the February 2025 ballot. His parents were Mary Juma Odinga and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who served as the first Vice President of Kenya under Jomo Kenyatta. In an interview with BBC News in January 2008, Odinga asserted that he was the first cousin of US president Barack Obama through Obama's father. Baptised as an Anglican Christian in the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in his childhood, Odinga later became a born-again Christian.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.