Matriarch of Obama family dies in Kenya
Sarah Obama, the matriarch of former President Barack Obama’s Kenyan family, died Monday. She was at least 99 years old.
Mama Sarah, as the stepgrandmother of the former U.S. president was fondly called, was a philanthropist who promoted education for girls and orphans. She passed away while being treated at a hospital in Kisumu, Kenya’s thirdlargest city, according to her daughter Marsat Onyango.
Sarah Obama was the second wife of President Obama’s grandfather and helped raise his father, Barack Obama Sr. The family is part of Kenya’s Luo ethnic group.
President Obama often showed affection toward her and referred to her as “Granny” in his memoir, “Dreams from My Father.” He described meeting her during his 1988 trip to his father’s homeland and their initial awkwardness as they struggled to communicate, which developed into a warm bond. She attended his first inauguration as president in 2009.
President Obama was informed of her death and sent his condolences.
For decades, Sarah Obama has helped orphans, raising some in her home. The Mama Sara Obama Foundation provided food and education to children who lost their parents — paying for school supplies, uniforms, basic medical needs, and school fees.
She recalled pedaling the president’s father six miles to school on the back of her bicycle every day from the family’s home village of Kogelo to the bigger town of Ngiya to make sure he got the education that she never had.