Maurice Ogeta Recalls Raila’s Final Moments as He Clears Up Viral Hospital Video

Maurice Ogeta, the longtime bodyguard of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has described the frightening moments before his boss died in India, recalling how he noticed religious items being prepared while medical staff were trying to save the veteran politician.

In an interview with a local television station aired on Sunday, October 11, Ogeta said he saw a Bible, candles and a piece of cloth being arranged near the area where medical staff were attending to Raila. The preparations unsettled him because he had not yet been told that the former Prime Minister had died.

“I asked Dr Olunya what was happening,” Ogeta recalled, saying the doctor explained that prayer was part of the care provided at the mission hospital.

But the reassurance did not completely settle his fears. Ogeta said the events unfolding around him left him feeling that the situation was more serious than he had been led to believe.

His account offers a personal glimpse into the confusion and distress surrounding Raila’s final medical emergency. It does not, however, establish what the medical team knew at that moment or explain the clinical decisions made during treatment.

Ogeta recounts Raila’s final walk

Ogeta also described how the emergency began during Raila’s morning walk in India on October 15, 2025.

According to his recollection, Raila had been walking slowly when he stopped responding to questions. Ogeta, who was close behind him, initially asked whether he was experiencing pain in his back or leg.

He said Raila then lost control of his body and collapsed against him. Ogeta called for medical assistance, and Raila was taken for emergency treatment.

In a separate account of the incident published by the media, Ogeta recalled being only about a metre behind Raila when he noticed that something was wrong.

The former Prime Minister died later that morning, aged 80.

Ogeta corrects claims about viral hospital footage

The interview has also brought renewed attention to a video of Raila walking in hospital clothing, with Ogeta following behind him. The footage circulated widely after Raila’s death, with some social media users believing it showed the politician in India shortly before he died.

Ogeta has clarified that the clip was recorded in Dubai after Raila’s first surgery there, not during his final hours in India.

The clarification matters because old footage can easily be mistaken for recent events when it is shared without its original context. In this case, Ogeta’s account provides a correction from someone who was present with Raila, rather than relying on assumptions drawn from the video.

What is confirmed about Raila’s death?

President William Ruto’s official proclamation confirmed that Raila died in India on October 15, 2025, while receiving medical treatment. The announcement described his death as a major loss to Kenya and recognised his long role in the country’s political development.

Contemporaneous reporting by Indian media and international news agencies reported that Raila suffered a cardiac arrest.

Ogeta’s recollections add a human perspective to the final hours of a leader whose political career shaped Kenya for decades. But his description of the Bible, candles and cloth should not be treated as proof of a hidden medical decision or as evidence that anyone knew Raila would die before the announcement was made.

For now, his account remains a witness’s recollection of a deeply distressing emergency — and a reminder of the need to distinguish personal observations from conclusions that require medical evidence.

About the Author

Maureen Onyango is a journalist passionate about storytelling, life coaching and spiritual lessons. She studied at the Kenya Institute of Management and enjoys telling stories that inform, inspire and empower communities.