Mama Sarah Obama Dies in Kisumu at the Age of 99

Mama Sarah Obama has passed away in Kisumu at the age of 99 years.

Mama Sarah, the grandmother to former US President Barack Obama, died at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital at around 4.45 am on Monday following a short illness, according to the family.

The nonagenarian will be remembered for her philanthropic work, which saw her initiate many community development projects in her Nyang’oma Kogelo village in Siaya County.

She was the third wife of the paternal grandfather of former US President Obama, who ruled the North American country from 2009 to 2017.

President Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga have led the nation in mourning her death.

Uhuru eulogized the deceased as an icon of family values and a philanthropist whose contribution to the country's progress shall be dearly missed.

“The passing away of Mama Sarah is a big blow to our nation. We’ve lost a strong, virtuous woman. A matriarch who held together the Obama family and was an icon of family values,” Uhuru said in a message of condolence to the family, relatives and friends.

“She was a loving and celebrated philanthropist who graciously shared the little she had with the less fortunate in her community,” he added.

Odinga said, “In the passing of Mama Sarah Obama, we have lost a matriarch who lived ahead of her time. She single-handedly kept the family going long after the husband departed.”

Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang Nyong’o said, “Mama Sarah was not only a patriarch of the larger Obama family but a motherly figure to many people. She was a philanthropist who helped to mobilize funds t pay school fees for many orphans and vulnerable children. She also supported many widows.”