Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga's body arrives in Nairobi from India

Raila Odinga died of a suspected heart attack while visiting a health clinic in southern India on Wednesday.

The body of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga arrives at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. / Reuters

The body of the revered Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga arrived in Nairobi on Thursday from India where he died of a suspected heart attack.

A large crowd gathered at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to greet the coffin, AFP reporters said.

Odinga died of a heart attack while visiting a health clinic in southern India on Wednesday.

President William Ruto has announced seven days of national mourning for Odinga, who ran unsuccessfully for the presidency five times but played a major role in Kenyan politics over several decades and was a figurehead for large swathes of the population.

Odinga's body was due to be taken to parliament, with public grieving spaces set up around Nairobi before a state funeral service on Friday.

The body will then be moved to western Kenya where Odinga was born and enjoyed great support. A burial service will take place on Sunday.