IN SHORT: A video of former Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga dismissing rumours of his death has surfaced on social media. But Odinga has made no such remarks. The video combines original footage with audio created using artificial intelligence tools.
In October 2025, several social media posts claimed that Kenya’s former prime minister Raila Odinga was critically ill. But his party, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), quickly dismissed the claims as false.
Amid all that speculation about his health, a video of Odinga supposedly dismissing rumours of his death also went viral.
In the video, Odinga appears to say: “I have seen some Kenyans – especially on X, or is it Twitter – saying that I am dead. I am shocked by that. I am just here in Karen with Mama Ida, enjoying ourselves. I still wonder where someone gets that courage. I am very alive and kicking. In fact, I am very young. I am just 85 for your information. So those bloggers like Maverick Aoko should hold your horses.”
The text superimposed on the video reads: “RAILA SAYS HE IS NOT DEAD AND HE IS VERY YOUNG TO DIE.” The video appears to have originated on TikTok, where it has more than 190,000 views.
Odinga’s wife is Ida Odinga. Karen is an affluent suburb of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, where the politician lives. Maverick Aoko is one of the most popular social media influencers in Kenya.
The 80-year-old Odinga is a prominent Kenyan politician who served as the country’s prime minister from 2008 to 2013. He has unsuccessfully run for president five times – in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022.
But is the video to be trusted? We checked.
AI-generated audio
A close examination of the video reveals that Odinga’s mouth is distorted while speaking and does not resemble his natural movements. His upper lip appears larger than usual, and his upper teeth move unnaturally as he talks. This strongly suggests that the video may have been manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Some AI technologies still struggle to accurately recreate certain parts of the human body and their movements.
At the end of the video, Odinga says: “So those bloggers like Maverick Aoko should hold your horses.” This is a clear grammatical error and unlikely to have come from him. He also claims that he is “just 85”, which is inaccurate.
Additionally, Odinga was out of the country – not in Karen, Nairobi – when the video was circulating. The ODM confirmed this.
A reverse image search of a screenshot from the video revealed that the original footage was from the party’s parliamentary group meeting in Machakos county on 22 September 2025. The event was livestreamed on the party’s YouTube channel and covered by other media outlets.
Africa Check listened to Odinga’s entire speech and found no section where he mentioned his age or health.
The video in circulation is misleading. It combines original footage with audio generated using AI tools to make it sound like Odinga is dismissing rumours of his death.
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