"A king", "a hero", "Nelson Mandela", "Jesus Christ" -- no superlatives were too much for the crowd that came to mourn the death of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga at his Nairobi home on Wednesday.

That he failed to win the presidency no less than five times is not the point for the fans of "Baba" (father) -- his role as a fighter for democracy and champion of his Luo tribe made him a dominant figure in Kenyan politics for decades.

On Wednesday, just hours after his death at 80 at an Indian health retreat, hundreds of his supporters flocked to his residence in the upmarket suburb of Karen.

Many were inconsolable. One man tried to enter on his knees as tearful women screamed "Baba" over and over.

"We need him. He left a void that no one can fill," said Johnson Omongi, 25, after wa

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