By Ken Gichinga, Chief Economist, Mentoria Economics
When India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X to mourn former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, it was clear he was grieving a close friend. Modi called Raila “a towering statesman and a cherished friend of India,” noting a relationship that stretched back to his days as Gujarat Chief Minister. He recalled Raila’s deep affection for India’s culture and values, and his advocacy for closer India–Kenya ties—including his appreciation of Ayurveda after witnessing its impact on his daughter’s health.
For many Kenyans, healing was indeed at the heart of Raila’s connection with India. His interest in Ayurveda—an ancient, holistic system that emphasises the mind–body link and tailors care to each person’s prakriti (constitution)—was well documented. Each year, roughly 20,000 Kenyans travel to India for treatment, drawn by advanced equipment, specialist expertise and comparatively affordable costs. Procedures such as cardiac surgery or joint replacements can be 70–80% cheaper than in Europe or the United States, and about 50% less than in many private hospitals in our region. Kenya should borrow a leaf from this success: invest in medical tourism for Africa, modernise facilities, and reduce taxes on medical equipment so our hospitals run on the latest technology.
Balancing the historic trade relationship will take equal ambition. In FY 2024/2025, Kenya imported about USD 3.13 billion from India but exported only USD 319 million—roughly 10% of what we buy. The remedy is not protectionism but productivity: unlock our factors of production so Kenya can ship higher-value goods and services to India and beyond. That means deepening digitisation—learning from Bengaluru, the subcontinent’s tech hub known for its start-up ecosystem, vast engineering talent and the presence of global firms. It also means addressing structural bottlenecks like high energy costs to make local manufacturing viable and export-ready.
Raila’s greatest domestic contribution remains the expansion of democratic space. Here, too, Kenya can learn from India, home to the world’s largest electorate—an estimated 968 million people—administered by an Election Commission of three commissioners. By contrast, Kenya’s IEBC has seven commissioners overseeing a much smaller voter base. Understanding how India has sustained confidence in its electoral institutions is a worthy study for Kenyan bodies seeking global standards.
India’s global rise reflects virtues Kenya can emulate: hard work, resilience and strong family systems that cultivate leaders grounded in their roots. Corporate boardrooms from Microsoft and Google to the World Bank and IBM have embraced Indian leadership that marries global competence with cultural confidence. Kenya can draw inspiration from this model—nurturing progress in the family and community, and expressing it through enterprise, culture and public service.
These are qualities Raila embodied: a belief in ideas, institutions and international friendship as engines of national renewal. The Indo–Kenya story—health cooperation, technological aspiration, democratic learning and people-to-people ties—offers a roadmap to carry Raila Odinga’s legacy forward for years to come.
