NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s wife, Ida Odinga, had an easy sail during her vetting session before MPs as she appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations.
Ida was appearing for vetting following her nomination as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The house team led by Nelson Koech, took barely 40 minutes, with some lawmakers focused more on issuing congratulatory messages than asking substantive questions. This prompted the committee chair to intervene.
“It sounds like and I have to caution members it is a vetting exercise, and you will have an opportunity as a committee to do your congratulatory messages later if you do approve. For this point, let’s restrict ourselves to the vetting process,” Koech directed.
“Ask the question. Mama Aida can take any question. She’s prepared and well-versed with all your questions. I think at this point, let’s just focus on asking the questions that we came to do,” he added.
The directive came minutes after National Assembly Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo declined to put questions to Ida Odinga, saying she would not subject the former Prime Minister’s spouse to what she termed a “political spectacle.”
Odhiambo, who represents Suba North and sits on the same committee, used her time to defend Mama Ida’s record, describing her as “a woman of integrity, resilience and unquestionable commitment to public service.”
“I will not ask Mama Ida any question. Her track record speaks for itself. She has served this country diligently, particularly in education and women empowerment. I do not wish to reduce her lifetime of service to a checklist,” Odhiambo said.
The seasoned lawmaker also emphasized that public service should not be diminished by partisan politics.
“We must be careful not to turn this process into a trial by politics. Leadership is about service, and she has demonstrated that over decades,” she noted.
Kiambu Woman Representative Anne Wamuratha also praised Mama Ida before posing questions on how she intends to promote international cooperation on environmental issues, particularly in line with the Paris Agreement.
“Maybe I would also first congratulate Mama on your appointment at this position. The other thing is that you came in very prepared, as the local Kenyans would say, ‘umetuuzia uoga’ by the way you presented yourself, and we really want to appreciate you and your appointment,” she stated.
Other committee members focused on how Mama Ida plans to integrate Kenya’s socio-economic priorities with UNEP’s environmental mandate.
“How will you promote an integrated approach that aligns environmental diplomacy with Kenya’s socio-economic development priorities and sustainable development goals, SDGs?” posed Baringo Central MP Joshua Kandie.
“UN is facing a serious crisis at the moment. And as a country which hosts the only United Nations agency dealing with environment in the global south, what actions would you take, and what kind of advocacy would you bring to your job to reverse this decline in the United Nations and to increase the resources?” posed Kamkunji MP Yussuf Mohammed.
Mama Ida highlighted her ability to mobilize both local and international resources, emphasizing that she would leverage her social capital and networks to ensure Kenya plays a strong role in global environmental governance.
The former Prime Minister’s wife also revealed that her personal net worth is Sh500 million, clarifying that this does not include the wider Odinga family’s assets.
“This is an interesting question. There are things that belong to me Ida and there are things that belong to the Odinga family but my net worth is about Sh500 million,” she told the committee.
She also praised her late husband Raila Odinga, saying he played a huge role in the person she is today.
“I thank President Ruto for the trust he has placed in me by nominating me to serve our nation in this important global diplomatic role,” she stated.
Further, Mama Ida said that if approved by Parliament, she will do her best to prevent environmental destruction and pursue specific environmental priorities.
“If approved, I intend to do my level best to help stop the destruction of our planet. I will pursue every specific and set priorities,” she added.
President William Ruto nominated Mama Ida to serve as Kenya’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UNEP on January 23.
