Details Of Raila Odinga's Trip To India For Daughter's Eye Treatment

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga is currently in India, days after attending the African Union heads of state summit in Addis Ababa, it has emerged.

Kahawa Tungu understands that the former prime minister flew to India on Monday to visit his daughter Rosemary who is receiving eye treatment in the Asian country.

According to an online report by an Indian publication, the treatment is being undertaken at Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Koothattukulam, South India.

Rosemary lost her eyesight in 2017 after suffering a minor stroke. She has been in and out of hospital ever since with initial treatment being undertaken in South Africa.

She reportedly visited the Indian facility for the first time in 2020. The latest private visit is a follow-up check-up, according to medical sources who spoke to the publication.

Read: Mt. Kenya Foundation’s Demands To Odinga As They Endorse Him For The Presidency

“During 2019-20, HE Odinga was seen saying in Kenyan TV channels that he was extremely relieved as they found a treatment for his daughter’s blindness in 2020. The latest private visit is a follow-up check-up. The eye treatment centre has been practising ayurvedic eye care traditionally for nearly 300 years now,” the source said.

The hospital at Koothattukulam was set up by Sreedhareeyam some 25 years ago. It’s equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for diagnosing and other ancillary services while sticking to traditional ayurvedic methods for treating even advanced and complicated eye ailments.

Dr Narayanan Namboothiri, a chief physician of Sreedhareeyam centre, confirmed that Rosemary is receiving treatment at the facility.

The doctor indicated the Odingas will be at the hospital for a couple of days while Rosemary undergoes various eye care procedures and treatments prescribed in the traditional ayurvedic system.

Earlier, there were speculations that Odinga was in either Russia or India for treatment for undisclosed illness after completing the heads of state summit in Ethiopia last week.

Odinga, the current African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development, underwent minor surgery to relieve pressure built up around his brain in 2010.

Neurosurgeon Oluoch Olunya, who carried out the operation at the Nairobi Hospital, said the pressure might have been caused by him hitting his head while in a car.

He was rushed to the facility after complaining of fatigue.

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