Journalist and historian Levin Odhiambo Opiyo has challenged former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s claims that no post-mortem examination was conducted on the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga following his death in India.
Gachagua, speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday, August 11, questioned why a post-mortem had not been conducted on Raila’s body after he died in India in October 2025.
He also raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Raila’s treatment, the medical team that accompanied him and the decision to transport his body back to Kenya.
However, Opiyo has dismissed the suggestion that the absence of a publicly available post-mortem report necessarily means that no autopsy was conducted.
According to Opiyo, there was a specific reason Raila’s body was transported from Devamatha Hospital, where he died, to Government Medical College Ernakulam.
“There was a reason why Baba's body was driven all the way from Devamatha Hospital where he had died to Government Medical College Ernakulam,” Opiyo said.
He explained that Government Medical College Ernakulam handles deaths that attract significant public interest and conducts autopsies as part of forensic investigations.
Opiyo further disputed Gachagua’s suggestion that Raila’s personal doctors had been prevented from accessing him before his death.
He pointed to Dr Olunya, whom he described as Raila’s long-serving personal doctor and neighbour in Karen, saying the doctor was in India with the former Prime Minister.
“Eti Raila's doctors were blocked from accessing him, yet Dr Olunya who was his personal doctor for many years and his neighbour in Karen, was with him in India,” Opiyo said.
The historian also accused Gachagua of attempting to reignite emotions surrounding Raila’s death for political purposes.
“Bwana Gachagua tunakuonea 18, what you are trying to achieve by stirring emotions, but we are not boarding,” he said.
Opiyo also questioned Gachagua’s renewed interest in Raila, contrasting it with their political differences while Raila was alive.
He sarcastically questioned whether it was suspicious that Gachagua had developed a strong public attachment to Raila after his death, despite their previous political disagreements.
Rather than relying on speculation, Opiyo urged those seeking clarity to pursue the official medical records.
He provided the direct enquiry number for the Department of Forensic Medicine at Government Medical College, Ernakulam, and suggested that Raila’s family could seek permission and request the post-mortem report from the institution.