IN SHORT: A photo of former Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga on a hospital bed has gone viral on social media in October 2025, with users claiming he is critically ill. However, the photo is from 2017.
In October 2025, there was widespread speculation about the health of Kenyan politician and leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, Raila Odinga.
Amid the speculation, a photo showing Odinga on a hospital bed being treated by medical staff went viral on social media. Users who posted it claimed that Odinga was critically ill.
“Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is hospitalised. He's in critical condition,” wrote one user who posted the photo.
The same photo and claim appeared in a graphic featuring the Kenyans.co.ke logo, suggesting the Kenyan digital news site published it.
The 80-year-old Odinga is a prominent politician in Kenya, who served as the country’s prime minister from 2008 to 2013. He unsuccessfully ran for president five times – in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022.
Odinga and Kenyan president William Ruto have long been political foes. But in March 2025, they closed ranks and signed a memorandum of understanding.
The photo, accompanied by the claim, has been posted here and here.
But does it show an ailing Odinga on a hospital bed in October 2025? We checked.
Photo from 2017
On 5 October, the ODM released a statement, denying claims that Odinga was critically ill. The party accused opposition politicians of being “on a familiar campaign of misinformation” regarding his health, assuring supporters that he would have communicated if he were that sick.
A reverse image search of the photo revealed that it was first published online in July 2017. At the time, credible news outlets reported that Odinga had been hospitalised in Mombasa county, southern Kenya, due to suspected food poisoning.
This photo has previously been used to make similar false claims about Odinga’s health.
On 4 October 2025, Kenyans.co.ke also posted the circulating graphic featuring Odinga’s image and labelled it “FAKE”.
The photo is from 2017. It does not show a critically ill Odinga in October 2025.
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