ODM leader Raila Odinga is a celebrated politician in Kenya, one who has come to be loved by many due to his charismatic character and leadership style.
Despite Odinga being under scrutiny for being a public figure and always in full glare of the cameras, a part of his private life has remained just that, private.
The former prime minister was born into a polygamous family. His father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, had four wives namely Mary Juma, Gaudencia Adeya, Susan Agik and Betty Adongo who bore him a total of 17 children, some of who are well known to the public, while others are not.
In this article, we will delve deeper into three of Odinga's sisters; Beryl Achieng Odinga, Wenwa Akinyi and Caroline Akinyi.
In Raila's immediate family, he is the second born, followed by Wenwa, Beryl, Fred Odima, Omondi (Who died as an infant), Osewe and Ruth.
Beryl Odinga
She is a daughter to Jaramogi's first wife Mary Auma.
Beryl is the chairperson of the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC). She was formally appointed to the board on Wednesday, January 22, 2020.
She was first appointed as a board member at NWSC by Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko on July 25, 2019, who stated that she had qualified for the job, despite being Raila's sister.
Not much, however, is known of Beryl's educational background.
Beryl got married in 1974 to Otieno Ambala, an aspiring legislator who died of a heart attack in 1985 at the Kodiaga Prison.
In Raila's 2014 biography The Flame of Freedom, he narrated in part of how his sister was in an abusive marriage.
He narrated that Beryl was married to an aspiring legislator identified as Otieno Ambala, who saw the Odinga family as stepping stone to political relevance needed for his ambitious bid.
Raila narrated that Ambala and Beryl had a stormy relationship from the start, and things got worse between them when Ambala succeeded in his bid and became the Member of Parliament for Gem.
He is reported to have become even more brazen and abusive, forcing Beryl and her children to move out.
Raila clarified in his biography that as a family, they had not been elated about the marriage from the start, but Beryl had forced them to grant her blessings to get married to him.
Wenwa Akinyi
She is also a daughter to Mary Auma, Raila's mother.
An article by Daily Nation in 2015 stated that Wenwa was the first Kenyan woman to obtain a doctorate degree in chemistry.
Going by her Linked-in page, Wanwa is currently a consul general who previously served as a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi for 13 years.
She has also worked as a senior assistant secretary for the Commission for University Education and a chief chemist at the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya.
Caroline Akinyi
She is the only child to Jaramogi's second child, Gaudecia Adeya.
She works with the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation.
According to her Twitter page, Walkowa is a leadership coach, a development consultant in Gender, IR, M&E Specialist and a trained psychotherapist.
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