With just weeks remaining before the curtain falls on 2025, the year is already etched in Kenya’s collective memory as one of the darkest in its political and cultural history.
It is a year that robbed the nation of leaders, creatives, thinkers, and public voices from different walks of life, leaving behind unanswered questions, emotional farewells, and a country struggling to comprehend the sheer scale of loss.
While several politicians, celebrities, and public figures passed away during the year, nothing shook Kenya to its core like the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Raila Odinga
Raila’s final days were marked by speculation and quiet anxiety. His family disclosed that he had travelled to India to rest, but as days passed, concern grew. Kenyans whispered, refreshed timelines, and clung to hope until confirmation of his death broke the nation’s heart.
Raila’s daughter Winnie Odinga, an East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) member, first called her father’s brother Oburu Odinga to inform him of Raila’s passing before reaching out to President William Ruto.
“This is a very big blow,” President Ruto said as he recounted how he learned of Raila Odinga’s death.
Images of Winnie Odinga delivering her father’s fedora hat to her mother after the delegation sent to India returned with Raila’s body stirred deep emotion across the country.
Winnie later addressed the nation, setting the record straight about her father’s final moments and revealing that he died in her arms, urging Kenyans to be proud of his legacy.
Raila was accorded a state burial and laid to rest at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi. Even in death, he brought the nation to a standstill. The Kenya Airways aircraft codenamed RAO001, sent to retrieve his body, became the most tracked plane in the country’s history.
Dalmas Otieno
His death came just weeks after Kenya mourned Dalmas Otieno, the former minister and Rongo MP, who died on September 7, 2025, due to hyperglycaemia linked to diabetes complications.
Charles Ong’ondo Were
Earlier in the year, on April 15, 2025, Kabondo Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were was shot near City Mortuary while heading home.
Though his driver and bodyguard survived, Were was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. A three-term MP, his death devastated Kasipul residents.
In subsequent mini-polls, his 27-year-old son Boyd Were won the seat, defeating Phillip Aroko.
Malulu Injendi
On February 17, 2025, former Malava MP Malulu Injendi died after weeks in the ICU at Aga Khan Hospital due to breathing complications. Like Ong’ondo Were, Injendi had served three consecutive terms.
His son Ryan Injendi later sought to succeed him but lost the UDA nomination to David Ndakwa.
Mathew Lempurkel
Another blow came on August 24, 2025, when former Laikipia North MP Mathew Lempurkel died following a hit-and-run accident.
William Cheptumo
Veteran politician William Cheptumo, who served as Baringo North MP from 2007 to 2022 and later as senator, passed away on February 16, 2025, while undergoing treatment at Nairobi Hospital.
Betty Bayo
Beyond politics, the entertainment industry also suffered painful losses. Gospel musician Betty Bayo, famed for the hit 11th Hour, died on November 10 while receiving treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital.
KK Mwenyewe
Comedian Zacharia Kariuki, popularly known as KK Mwenyewe, died while undergoing treatment for stomach-related complications. His family revealed he was their breadwinner, leaving fans and loved ones devastated.
Nick Mudimba
The media fraternity mourned former KTN News anchor and CGTN reporter Nick Mudimba, who died on March 23 after collapsing at his Syokimau home shortly after watching a Harambee Stars match.
His family said he had been unwell and was receiving treatment.
Lawyer Kyalo Mbobu
On September 10, 2025, prominent advocate and governance expert Kyalo Mbobu was shot dead by a gunman on a motorbike while driving home on a busy Nairobi street.
Albert Ojwang
The death of 31-year-old teacher Albert Ojwang sparked national outrage. Ojwang died in police custody after suffering head injuries and neck compression, according to an autopsy.
Arrested on June 6 in Kakot, Homa Bay, for a social media post allegedly defaming Deputy Inspector General of police Eliud Lagat, he was transported over 350 kilometres to Nairobi’s Central Police Station.
Ojwang was later found unconscious in his cell during a routine check. Authorities ruled his death a suicide, a conclusion that sparked protests, especially among Gen Z demonstrators demanding justice.
Cyrus Jirongo
Most recently, Kenya was rocked by the death of veteran politician Cyrus Jirongo, who died in a tragic accident along the Nairobi–Naivasha highway on December 13, 2025.
Jirongo rose to prominence ahead of the 1992 General Election under President Daniel Moi’s administration and served as Lugari MP from 1997 to 2002 and again from 2007 to 2013. CCTV footage has since raised questions about the circumstances surrounding his death, with investigations ongoing.
President Ruto, while condoling with Jirongo’s family in Gigiri, described him as a formidable leader.
“Jirongo stood out as a resilient and enterprising leader who refused to be constrained by adversity and whose life was defined by courage, ambition, and an unwavering belief in his ideas,” he said. “May we be comforted by the word of the Lord in Psalm 46:1. ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.’”
Other notable Kenyans who passed away in 2025 include Supreme Court judge Ibrahim Mohammed, actor Bilal Wanjau, Tabitha Gatwiri, veteran journalist Leonard Mambo Mbotela, and author Meja Mwangi.
As the year draws to a close, Kenya remains in mourning, reflecting on a period defined not only by loss but also by the legacies left behind.