The late Beryl Achieng was a teacher and lawyer and made history as the first black town Clerk of Mutare, Zimbabwe.
She later became Company Secretary of the Housing Corporation of Zimbabwe and Chairperson of the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC).
Beryl was the sister of the Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga and Kisumu Women Representative Ruth Odinga.
She died on November 25, 2025.
Beryl Achieng Educational Background
Beryl completed her Form Six (‘A’ Levels) studies in December 1972.
She is a professional teacher and lawyer. She made history as the first black Town Clerk of Mutare, Zimbabwe’s third-largest city.
Career Background
After returning to Zimbabwe as a bona fide resident, Beryl rebuilt her life and career, later serving as Company Secretary of the Housing Corporation of Zimbabwe.
She also served as the Chairperson of the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC), having been formally appointed to the board in January 2020.
During Oburu’s birthday celebration in October 2023, Beryl revealed that she was a classmate of former Wiper Patriotic Front party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o.
Beryl also added that she is the only one among her siblings who attended both school and university in Kenya. Introducing herself, she noted that several people present were her former university colleagues, including Ida Odinga.
Also Read: Raila Odinga Profile: Educational Background, Family, Politics and Wealth
She also acknowledged Siaya Governor James Orengo and Kisumu Governor Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o, whom she described as both a teacher and a colleague during her time at the university.
She also credited Oburu with influencing her career path. While their father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, was passionate about mathematics, Beryl said Oburu encouraged her to pursue law even though she struggled with the subject.
He reassured her that arts subjects were just as valuable as mathematics, a message she said shaped her journey into the legal profession.
In Raila’s 2014 biography, The Flame of Freedom, he recounted how his sister was trapped in an abusive marriage. Ambala, who viewed the Odinga family as a political stepping stone, became the Member of Parliament for Gem after a stormy start to their marriage.
Also Read: Full List of Raila Odinga’s Siblings; Alive and Dead
Her Husband Political Journey
In the 1974 General Election, Otieno lost the Gem parliamentary race to Isaac Okero.
Otieno later turned to Beryl to help secure political support from her family.
Jaramogi reluctantly instructed his Bondo campaign team to assist Otieno in Gem, which contributed to his eventual victory in the 1979 elections.
Family
Beryl was married to Otieno Ambala, who served briefly as Gem MP before his death in 1985.
The couple later had two children, Auma and Chizzy, but their marriage soon fell apart because of ongoing domestic abuse.
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