Frontier Eye Desk
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, Rosemary Odinga, and doctors from Kerala’s Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Hospital in Mombasa. (Photo: Governor Nassir)
Mombasa, Kenya.
A team of Ayurvedic physicians from Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Hospital in Kerala, India — the specialists who cared for Kenya’s late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga during his final months — arrived in Mombasa on Thursday to pay their last respects.
The delegation, accompanied by Raila’s daughter Rosemary Odinga, was received at Moi International Airport by Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sherrif Nassir, who also serves as the ODM Deputy Party Leader.
“They are in Kenya to pay their final respects to a man whose life and legacy transcended borders,” Governor Nassir said in a post on X.
“The global outpouring of love for Baba is a reflection of his extraordinary journey—one defined by courage, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to justice and humanity,” he added.
Raila, who passed away in Kerala at the age of 80, had sought Ayurvedic treatment at Sreedhareeyam to manage chronic conditions including high blood pressure, kidney disease, and diabetes—ailments compounded by decades of political struggle and the physical toll of detention and injury.
His connection to the Kerala-based hospital was first established through his daughter Rosemary, who in 2022 underwent four months of intensive Ayurvedic therapy at the same facility for secondary optic atrophy. By year’s end, she announced that her vision had been fully restored, sparking international interest in the ancient Indian healing system.
Ayurveda, meaning “the science of life,” emphasizes balance among the body’s three doshas—Vata (air), Pitta (fire), and Kapha (water)—through the use of herbal remedies, therapeutic diets, yoga, massage, and meditation.
For Raila, the holistic treatments provided hope and comfort amid his complex health challenges. Though his condition ultimately worsened, those close to him say the care he received was marked by compassion and dignity.
The doctors’ visit to Kenya stands as both a gesture of respect and a testament to the profound cross-continental bond formed through shared journeys of healing, faith, and resilience.