Kenya PM Odinga out of hospital

Prime Minister Raila Odinga was on Sunday discharged from the Nairobi Hospital, six days after he underwent a head operation.

The PM - with his wife Ida and close family members in tow - emerged from North wing of the hospital at exactly 11am with a radiant smile, waving at the crowd that had milled outside the medical facility to witness the event.

Clad in a navy blue suit, a white shirt, a green patterned tie and a black cap, the PM stood at the entrance and paused for a minute, before proceeding to plant a commemorative tree.

The seedlings of the tree were donated by officials from the Mau Interim Coordinating Secretariat, whose chairman Hassan Noor was present.

All this time, a group of women, clad in orange skirts and blouses and another consisting mainly of school children, clad in yellow T-shirts took turns to sing religious songs – praising the lord for taking care of the PM.

“This is the day …that the Lord has made …we will rejoice...and be glad in it,” sang the children.

As this proceeded, Mr Odinga was heard uttering the words; “I am fine…I am ok.”

He then made a short statement before boarding his official vehicle, which then snaked out of the hospital towards his Karen home, where he is expected to continue recuperating before he resumes his duties.

Said Mr Odinga; “ I just want to take the opportunity to thank the management and staff of the Nairobi Hospital – the people who have looked after me for the last six days.”

“I also would like to thank the doctors who have done all that was possible to treat me under very difficult circumstances. Prof Macharia, Dr Olunya, Dr Gikonyo, Dr Ombati and all the others who have taken care of me during this period,” he said in reference to the team of doctors that looked after him.

He went on; “I also want to thank Kenyans who have prayed for me and finally, I also want to thank my wife Ida, for standing by me in this very difficult times. I am very happy to be back. As you can see, I’m very whole. Thank you very much.”

Media briefing

He is expected to hold a media briefing at his Karen home later on Sunday, where he is expected to speak mostly on his admission in hospital and his state of health.

The Prime Minister was admitted to the hospital on Monday hours after he had presided over the clean up of the Nairobi Dam, where he looked ill and exhausted.

He was driven to the hospital by his driver, complaining of a headache and general fatigue. Doctors performed an operation to relieve pressure outside his brain.

The pressure, they said, may have been caused by the PM banging his head in his car three weeks ago.

One of his doctors – Mr Livingstone Oluoch-Olunya said the PM was suffering from a condition called chronic subdural haematoma that was exerting pressure on his brain leading to frequent headaches.

Medical experts explain the condition as collection of blood and blood clots between the surface of the brain and its outermost covering. The chronic phase of this condition begins several weeks after the first bleeding. In a chronic subdural collection, blood leaks from the veins slowly over time.

It is usually not life threatening if treated early. However, if it is not treated in good time, it can take a dangerous turn, including bouts of unconsciousness, loss of memory and coordination