What we know — baseline facts

These are not up for speculation:

Raila Odinga’s daughter, Rosemary, had a serious medical issue starting around 2017: a brain aneurysm/tumour (depending on reporting), followed by surgery. Post-operative, she suffered optic nerve damage and, effectively, loss of eyesight.

She (and the family) sought treatment in multiple countries — Kenya, South Africa, Israel, Germany, China — but those attempts did not yield significant restoration of vision.

In 2019, Rosemary underwent treatment at the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital & Research Centre in Koothattukulam, Kerala. She stayed for a few weeks, followed the prescribed Ayurvedic regimen (which included diet changes, eye massages, herbal medicines, etc.), and according to reports, showed “substantial improvement” in her eyesight. 

Raila Odinga publicly expressed confidence in what Ayurveda offered: after seeing Rosemary’s improvement, he said that traditional medicine “gave us a lot of confidence” and has talked about the possibility of bringing those kinds of therapies or making their techniques available in Africa. 

When Raila was ill late in his life (just before he died), reports confirm he was in Kerala undergoing Ayurvedic treatment. He had arrived on October 4th, after suffering a minor stroke in Kenya, started therapy at the Ayurvedic (Sreedhareeyam) facility. 

What we infer — plausible motivations & reasoning

Here’s what seems likely, given what we know, about why Raila chose Ayurveda / traditional medicine:

1. Desperation and exhausted options

After years of seeking help in various advanced medical centers across several countries, with little to show, the Odinga family may have felt the conventional medicine path had plateaued. Ayurveda represented something different enough that it was worth the risk or investment, especially given prior failures elsewhere.

2. Personal success story: Rosemary’s recovery as proof point

The tangible improvement in his daughter’s eyesight via Ayurvedic care (as reported) served as both a proof-of-concept and emotional anchor. Seeing someone close to you recover when “all the others couldn’t make a difference” is a powerful motivator. This probably built trust: if alternative medicine worked for her, maybe it could help Raila too.

3. Familiarity and trust

Having had direct exposure — through his daughter’s treatment — to the Sreedhareeyam center, Ayurveda practitioners, and their methodology, Raila would have more information than the average person. He saw the facility, knew the doctors, understood — to some extent — what was being done. That reduces the uncertainty inherent in alternative therapies.

4. Holistic care & gentler methods

At his age, after suffering a stroke, perhaps facing chronic deterioration, someone may prefer treatments perceived as gentler, less invasive, more holistic. Ayurveda offers regimen, supervision, diet, herbal treatment, massages — many people believe these bring restoration of balance, not just fighting disease aggressively.

5. Cultural psychology & symbolic meaning

Being a major political figure, Raila’s decisions do more than treat illness — they send messages. By choosing traditional medicine, he aligns with many ordinary Kenyans who believe in herbal remedies, traditional knowledge, indigenous healing. It also suggests a belief in reconciling modern medicine with roots rather than rejecting one over the other.

6. Hope over risk

Traditional therapies often carry promises that modern medicine, with its measurable failure rates, does not. Though there is uncertainty, if the potential upside seems higher than what remains from conventional treatment, then even slim chances matter.

7. Political and personal autonomy

Perhaps there is also a desire for more control — being in a facility where confidentiality, personal attention, cultural respect may feel higher; less dependency on hospital bureaucracy; more agency to choose terms of treatment. Also, traditional healers might be more flexible, more relational than institutional medicine.

Why, in Raila’s specific last illness, Ayurveda was the choice

Putting together what was happening when he died, plus his history, suggests:

After a minor stroke (reported in Kenya), his health was fragile. Ayurveda might have been seen as a way to rebuild strength, restore vitality, aid recovery of movement, vitals, rather than just disease suppression.

He already had a prior affirmation: his daughter’s eye recovery had given him confidence in the Sreedhareeyam facility. Knowing they had achieved what other hospitals couldn’t, the same place’s reputation may have seemed reliable.

The choice of Kerala, India — which has ancient Ayurveda traditions, well-known Ayurvedic centers — suggests he wanted the “best of traditional medicine,” not unverified local herbs. He seems to have believed in Ayurveda’s quality, and in that center's capacity.

Possibly, with age and political fatigue, he preferred therapies that are slower, gentler, perhaps more comforting psychologically. Ayurveda, herbal regimens, massages — these can offer a kind of wellness beyond mere medical intervention.

What is not proven but needs serious scrutiny

While the above makes sense, there are things that are unknown:

Exactly how much of his treatment was Ayurvedic vs. how much modern or complementary (e.g., whether the stroke was being managed with conventional medicine simultaneously).

Whether the Ayurvedic treatment had official medical oversight in his condition (for example, monitoring of vitals, interaction with medications).

What medical risks existed from the regime (e.g., side effects, herb-drug interactions).

Whether choosing Ayurveda delayed or replaced possible life-saving interventions of modern medicine.

To  wrap things things up,Raila Odinga’s turn toward Ayurveda was less a romantic return to roots and more a calculated hope: after years of high-technology medicine failing to deliver, the recovery of his daughter via Ayurveda provided proof and emotional momentum; Ayurveda offered a gentler, more holistic road, one he already trusted. In his last illness, fragile after a stroke, this was the kind of therapy that promised not just treatment, but dignity, hope, renewed strength.

It’s likely that Raila saw in Ayurveda what he saw in his daughter’s recovery: something new that might succeed where modern medicine had stopped. Whether it altered the outcome, or allowed him more comfort in his final days, the choice makes sense in the mosaic of his life: a blend of public leadership, personal suffering, trust in tradition, and the search for hope.