NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 15 — Ida Odinga, the widow of Kenya’s late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has described her husband as “half-German,” in a touching reflection shared with the German Ambassador during a condolence visit at her Karen home on Wednesday.
German Ambassador to Kenya Sebastian Groth said he was struck by Ida’s remark when he visited the Odinga family to express his condolences following Raila’s death in India.
“I just gave condolences to Mama Ida Odinga at her residence in Karen. Wished her strength and courage at this difficult moment. She looked at me and said about Baba: ‘He was half-German,’” Ambassador Groth wrote in a social media post.
His ties to Germany date back to the late 1960s when he studied mechanical engineering in the then East Germany at the Technical School of Magdeburg.
Raila, 80, died while undergoing treatment in Koothattukulam, Ernakulam, India, after suffering a heart attack.
His passing has sparked an outpouring of grief across Kenya and beyond, with world leaders paying tribute to a man remembered for his resilience, reformist zeal, and decades-long fight for democracy.
Ambassador Groth said Germany joins Kenya in mourning a leader whose legacy extended far beyond his country’s borders, describing Odinga as a statesman whose life’s work strengthened democratic ideals and international friendship.
