Sarah Obama dies at 99
By Correspondent
Sarah Obama is dead, her family has confirmed. She was the grandmother to Barack Obama, the former President of the United States.
Mama Sarah had been sick for a while and died while undergoing treatment at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu.
She was the third wife of Hussein Obama and she died at the age of 99. Mama Sarah, who is a strong believer of the Islamic faith, will be buried in Kogelo today per religious customs.
Former Prime Minister and ODM leader Raila Odinga has mourned Mama Sarah as a “matriarch who lived ahead of her time” and “a symbol of the resilience and confidence of the African woman with a unique capacity to face the challenges of life,” he tweeted.
Mama Sarah, as she was fondly called, passed away around 4am on Monday while receiving treatment at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral hospital in Kisumu.
She was the third wife of President Obama’s paternal grandfather. Her daughter Marsat Onyango said her mother had been in poor health for some time. “It’s true she went to be with her Lord,” Marsat said on phone overcome with emotion.
Mama Sarah had taken up an initiative to care for destitute children as well as helping the widows in Siaya’s Kogelo village.
Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o condoled with the people of Kogelo for losing a Matriarch saying the late Mama Sarah will be remembered for empowering orphans through education.
“She was a philanthropist who mobilized funds to pay school fees for the orphans,” he said.
Sarah Onyango Obama was born around 1922 and hailed as a Kenyan educator and philanthropist. She was the third wife of the paternal grandfather of U.S. President Barack Obama. She was living in Nyang’oma Kogelo village.
Although she is not a blood relation, Barack Obama calls her “Granny Sarah”. Sarah spoke Luo and only a few words of English. She often communicated with President Obama through an interpreter.
On July 4, 2008, Sarah Obama attended the United States Independence Day celebrations in Nairobi, hosted by Michael Ranneberger, the U.S. ambassador in Kenya.