The matriarch of former U.S. President Barack Obama’s Kenyan family Sarah Obama died at the age of 99, relatives and officials confirmed on Monday. They did not disclose the cause of death.
Obama passed away around 4 a.m. local time while being treated at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral hospital in Kisumu, according to her daughter Marsat Onyango.
“She died this morning. We are devastated,” Onyango informed The Associated Press on a phone call.
Obama was a philanthropist who promoted education for girls and orphans.
On his part, Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o offered his condolences to the people of Kogelo village for losing a matriarch, affirming that she will be remembered for her work to promote education to empower orphans.
“She was a philanthropist who mobilized funds to pay school fees for the orphans,” Nyong’o said.
Sarah Obama was the second wife of former President Obama’s grandfather and helped in raising his father, Barack Obama, Sr.
The former President often showed affection toward her and referred to her as “Granny” in his memoir, “Dreams from My Father.”
For decades, Sarah Obama has helped orphans, as her foundation, the ‘Mama Sara Obama Foundation’, provided food, school supplies, uniforms, basic medical needs, and school fees to children who lost their parents.
In a 2014 interview with AP, she stated that even as an adult, letters would arrive but she couldn’t read them, adding that she didn’t want her children to be illiterate.
“I love education,” Obama said, stressing that children “learn they can be self-sufficient,” especially girls who too often had no opportunity to go to school.
“If a woman gets an education, she will not only educate her family but educate the entire village,” she asserted.
Follow the latest news on Google News
