IDA ODINGA
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 24, 1950 |
| GENDER | Female |
| OCCUPATION | Teacher, Activist, Businesswoman |
Biography
Ida Odinga is the wife to Azimio la Umoja leader and former prime minister Raila Odinga and a champion for female rights in Kenya for more than two decades now.
A teacher by profession, Odinga established a women’s voting league in 1991 and became known as the face of defiance during her country’s one-party regime.
She is also one of the first women to head a major corporation in the East African nation.
Ida Odinga Family
Ida Anyango Oyoo is the daughter of the first black nurse in Kenya, Rosa Oyoo. Mrs. Oyoo was trained at the King African Rifles Hospital, which became King George Hospital and later renamed Kenyatta National Hospital.
She was raised in a family of six children. Her father was a successful medical doctor in Kisii while her mother worked as a nurse.
Education
Ida attended Ogande Girls High School for her secondary education then proceeded to pursue a Bachelor of Education Arts Degree at the University of Nairobi.
It was during her studies at the university that she met her future husband, Raila Odinga, for the first time in 1972. She was a second-year geography student.
Career
Ida Odinga began her career as a teacher at the Kenya High School, a public girl’s national school with a history of exemplary performance.
She held this position for more than two decades and was a teacher to students who rose to be powerful women in the country including the late governor of Bomet county Joyce Laboso.
On the other hand, her husband was one of the most vocal fighters of democracy during the KANU regime, something that alienated him from the government and made life for his family difficult.
As a result of antagonizing the government, the effects were felt by his family as well, especially after Ida was expelled from teaching due to her husband’s political stand.
In 1991, she founded the league of Kenyan women voters, which aimed at promoting opportunities for women in the political field.
Thereafter in 2003, she became the managing director of the East African Spectre, a liquefied gas company. This made her one of the first women in the country to hold a major leadership role in the company.
Projects and Awards
Over the years, she has been involved in numerous projects, including breast cancer and fistula awareness campaigns, among others. Additionally, she has mentored several schoolgirls and has played a major role in funding the construction of a state-of-the-art library at her former high school.
The ODM leader’s wife successfully raised Ksh176.9 million to build a library with a 500-student capacity.
In 2021, she was honored with an award for her
Follow our WhatsApp Channel for real-time news updates!
