NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 23 – President William Ruto has nominated Dr Ida Betty Odinga, the widow of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, as Kenya’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), subject to parliamentary approval.
The nomination has been forwarded to the National Assembly for vetting and approval under the constitutional framework governing Foreign Service appointments.
Ida is a veteran educator and civic leader with a long record in advocacy for women’s empowerment, education and social justice.
Following Raila Odinga’s death in October 2025, Ida has continued to be referenced as one of Kenya’s most recognisable public personalities, with sustained involvement in community development and civic causes.
She has also had exposure in the private sector through family business interests, including East African Spectre, a liquefied gas cylinder manufacturing company.
Ida has received multiple honours, including two Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees and Kenya’s highest civilian honour, the Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (EGH), alongside other local and international awards recognising her public service.
If approved, her appointment would place her at the centre of global environmental diplomacy, with Kenya hosting UNEP headquarters in Nairobi.
