ODM leader Raila Odinga is recuperating at the Saudi German Hospital Dubai (SGH Dubai) after a successful surgery.
Mr Odinga underwent the procedure early this week after admission to the facility based in the United Arab Emirates.
The Odinga family spokesman Dr Oburu Oginga on Wednesday told the Daily Nation that Mr Odinga had gone for a “minor back surgery”.
Friday, ODM Deputy Party Leader Hassan Joho said he had spoken to Mr Odinga and that he was doing well after the procedure.
“I had the opportunity to speak to my party leader and my father the Baba of the nation. I feel happy and encouraged that he is progressing well,” Mr Joho said.
He went on: “He has undergone a procedure. Let us not forget that even our leaders are human beings. Sometimes they get sick and are treated. I have no doubt that within the shortest time possible, Baba will be back in Kenya,” he said.
“We stand solidly behind him and his agenda is our agenda. What he identifies with is what we are moving with,” he said.
The International Patient Relations Supervisor at the Saudi German Hospital Dubai, Ms Semira Dikbas did not, however, reveal when the surgery was conducted on Mr Odinga and when he is likely to be discharged from hospital.
“Due to the high confidentiality, we cannot give any reply to it,” Ms Dikbas told the Nation .
Efforts to reach the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer Reem Osman for further clarification on Mr Odinga’s condition did not bear fruit.
On Wednesday, his elder brother broke the news on Mr Odinga’s whereabouts, ending days of speculation.
“Jakom (chairman) is out of the country for a minor surgical operation in his back. It is not a serious health issue, but just a minor one. So, he’s okay,” Dr Oginga said.
The East African Legislative Assembly member revealed that Mr Odinga, 75, was admitted to a German hospital in Dubai.
Without disclosing the name of the facility, Dr Oginga said: “The Germans have a good hospital facility in the Arabian country where he’s being monitored.”
“He’s not in China. The last time he was there, I think, was in November last year before the coronavirus pandemic. Right now, if you want to go there, you must be ready for a 14-day military quarantine. That’s not tenable, so there is no way he could have gone there,” he said.
Dr Oginga would not confirm or deny reports that the politician had left the country in an air ambulance, or say who accompanied him.
“That was a private arrangement that I cannot discuss,” he said.
Earlier, multiple sources within Mr Odinga’s family had confirmed that he was out of the country but on an official assignment as the African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa.
“Jakom is as fit as a fiddle. He flew out of the country for an assignment and is okay, but I can’t speak for him,” a close relation who sought anonymity said earlier.
