NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 25 – The Odinga family is mourning the death of Beryl Achieng Odinga, the youngest sibling in the prominent political family, who passed away while undergoing treatment at the Nairobi Hospital.
Beryl passed on barely a month after the death of her brother Raila Odinga, Kenya’s former Prime Minister who died while undergoing treatment in India.
“It is with a heavy heart, but accepting the will of God, that we announce the sudden passing of Beryl Achieng Odinga,” her sister Ruth Odinga said.
She described Beryl as a devoted mother, a professional of great integrity and a quiet pillar within the extended Odinga family.
A Professional Who Made Her Mark Quietly
Although born into one of Kenya’s most influential political families, Beryl Achieng Odinga maintained a relatively private life, often choosing professional service over public political engagements.
She made history in Zimbabwe as the first Black Town Clerk of Mutare, the country’s third-largest city — a groundbreaking appointment that cemented her reputation as a capable and reform-oriented administrator.
In 2020, she was appointed Chairperson of the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC), where she championed reforms aimed at improving efficiency and service delivery.
Her work in both Kenya and abroad earned her respect as a trained, disciplined professional who contributed meaningfully to public institutions, often away from the public spotlight associated with her family.
Long Illness
Family sources said Beryl had been unwell for a prolonged period and had been in and out of various hospitals, including a facility in India where her brother Raila Odinga had also recently been admitted.
Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the family in due course.
