Ida Odinga
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Ida Betty Odinga (born Ida Anyango Oyoo on 24 August 1950) is a Kenyan
businesswoman A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...
,
activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
and
educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
. She is the wife of
Raila Odinga Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He was the Member of Parliament (Kenya), Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013 and has ...
, the former
Prime Minister of Kenya The prime minister of Kenya was a post in the Kenyan government. The first prime minister of Kenya was H.E. Jomo Kenyatta, who became prime minister in 1963. In 1964, when Kenya became a republic, the post of prime minister was abolished and ...
, and the leader of
National Super Alliance The National Super Alliance, known by the abbreviation NASA, was a Kenyan political coalition of opposition centre-left parties that was formed in January 2017. The coalition was created to oppose President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President Will ...
(NASA). In 2010, ''
The Standard The Standard may refer to: Entertainment * The Standard (band), an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon * ''The Standard'' (novel), a 1934 novel by the Austrian writer Alexander Lernet-Holenia * ''The Standard'' (Tommy Flanagan album), 1980 * ...
'' named Odinga, who was one of the first women to head a major Kenyan
company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
, as one of the top most powerful women in Kenya in 2010.


Early life and education

Odinga earned a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
from the
University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...
in 1973 when she was 24 years old. While attending the
University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...
, she met her future husband, Raila Odinga, who was an employee of the university's Department of Engineering at the time. The couple married on 1 September 1973 and have four children. One of their children, Fidel Odinga, died in 2015.


Career

She worked as a teacher for more than twenty years after graduation. She taught at The Kenya High School, an all-girls public school in
Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
. Her students included the late Governor of
Bomet County Bomet County is located in the Rift Valley region of Kenya, was established in 2010 and had a population of approximately 875,689 ¹ (2009 census) making it the 32nd largest county in Kenya by population. It is bordered by Kericho County to the we ...
,
Joyce Laboso Joyce Cherono Abonyo (née Laboso; 25 November 1960 – 29 July 2019) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second governor of Bomet County from 2017 until her death on 29 July 2019. She was a Member of Parliament representing Sotik consti ...
. Raila Odinga was imprisoned in 1982 as a
political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...
by the government of President
Daniel arap Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the thi ...
. Ida Odinga largely raised her children herself during those years while working as a teacher and living on The KHS campus. However, Ida Odinga was later expelled from her teaching position and from her home on the school campus by the
Kenya African National Union The Kenya African National Union (KANU) is a Kenyan political party that ruled for nearly 40 years after Kenya's independence from British colonial rule in 1963 until its electoral loss in 2002. It was known as Kenya African Union (KAU) from 19 ...
-led government due to Raila Odinga's political opposition. Odinga founded the League of Kenya Women Voters in 1991, which promotes opportunities for women in the political arena. She served as the chairperson of the League. She has also championed a host of other causes, many focused on women, children and health in Kenya. Odinga has advocated for the prevention of
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
and
fistula In anatomy, a fistula (: fistulas or fistulae ; from Latin ''fistula'', "tube, pipe") is an abnormal connection (i.e. tube) joining two hollow spaces (technically, two epithelialized surfaces), such as blood vessels, intestines, or other h ...
s, and eradication of the chigoe flea. She has also mentored Kenyan schoolgirls and sat on the
board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
for an organization which aids
paraplegics Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in Motor control, motor or Sensory nervous system, sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congen ...
. She became the
managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of the East African Spectre, a liquified gas cylinder
manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...
company, in 2003, becoming one of the first women to head a major Kenyan
company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
. ''
The Standard The Standard may refer to: Entertainment * The Standard (band), an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon * ''The Standard'' (novel), a 1934 novel by the Austrian writer Alexander Lernet-Holenia * ''The Standard'' (Tommy Flanagan album), 1980 * ...
'' listed Odinga as one of the top most powerful women in Kenya in 2010. In a 2012 interview with
CNN International Cable News Network International or CNN International (CNNi, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel and website, owned by CNN Worldwide. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates ...
, Odinga elaborated on her life as a politician's wife. She told CNN's Felicia Taylor, "It's good to be a wife, but it's good to be an educated wife. Being a wife, it's just not a position of subordination – it's a position of strength." In November 2018, Odinga endorsed Bill 2018, which would amend the
Constitution of Kenya The Constitution of Kenya is the supreme law of the Republic of Kenya. There have been three significant versions of the constitution, with the most recent redraft being enabled in 2010. The constitution was presented to the Attorney General ...
to guarantee the nomination of female candidates and MPs to
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
. While she publicly supported the bill, which she said would increase leadership posts for women MPs, Odinga also noted that women had never had the opportunity to compete equally with male politicians in politics. Odinga appeared in Parliament to support sitting women MPs during the debate. However, the bill failed to pass in the National Assembly in February 2019, despite vocal support from Ida Odinga, President
Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta ( born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. The son of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president, he previously served as Prime Minister of Kenya, Deputy Pri ...
, and other prominent politicians and activists. In 2019 Odinga emphasized that she would not endorse anybody for 2022 election and people are free to choose anyone they want. In June 2020, Ida's husband, former prime minister, traveled to
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
for hospital treatment.


Controversy


Regulation of churches

Earlier this year, Ida Odinga called for the regulation of churches to tame the unchecked mushrooming of worship centers across the country. She said the
National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), (in Swahili language, Swahili, ''Baraza kuu la makanisa nchini Kenya'') is a fellowship of Protestant church (building), churches and Christianity, Christian organisations registered in Kenya. It ...
should also ensure church leaders are taken through training for quality service to the congregants. This sparked a heated debate on the internet forcing her to withdraw and apologize because the remarks made didn't sit well with some members of the clergy. She also stated that her remarks were blown out of context. Ida, had, however, received backing from the Atheists Society in Kenya which demanded that churches not run by theologians should be abolished.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odinga, Ida 1950 births Living people Spouses of prime ministers of Kenya Kenyan educators Kenyan chief executives Kenyan women business executives 21st-century Kenyan businesswomen 21st-century Kenyan businesspeople Kenyan women's rights activists Orange Democratic Movement politicians University of Nairobi alumni Kenyan Luo people Luo women