Sarah Obama: Former US President Barack Obama's Grandmother Dies
- Sarah Obama, who has been sick for a while, died at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Hospital in Kisumu
- The 99-year-old was the third wife of Hussein Onyango Obama, the father to Barack Hussein Obama Senior
- The Obama family matriarch is expected to be laid to rest today (Monday) at Muslim Cemetery in Kisumu, Kenya
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Former United States President Barack Obama's grandmother Mama Sarah Anyango Obama has passed away. The 99-year-old, who has been sick for a while, died at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Hospital in Kisumu, Kenya while receiving treatment at around 4.45 am.
News about her demise was confirmed by her daughter, Marsat Obama, on the morning of Monday, 29 March.
The nonagenarian was the third wife of Hussein Onyango Obama, the father to Barack Hussein Obama Senior- the father to the celebrated ex-US head of state.
Source: UGC
She is expected to be laid to rest on Monday, 29 March at Muslim Cemetery in Kisumu.
The 44th president of the superpower country last visited his grandmother in July 2018 during his tour to Kenya.
Condolences
Several leaders led by President Uhuru Kenyatta trooped to social media to condole the deceased's family.
The head of state mourned the Obama family matriarch as an icon of family values and a philanthropist whose contribution to the Kenyan nation's progress shall dearly be missed.
“The passing away of Mama Sarah is a big blow to our nation. We’ve lost a strong, virtuous woman. A matriarch who held together the Obama family and was an icon of family values,” said Uhuru.
ODM leader Raila Odinga said: "In the passing of Mama Sarah Obama, we have lost a matriarch who lived ahead of her time. She single-handedly kept the family going long after the husband departed."
In other news about Obama, Briefly.co.za reported that the former president opened up about his estranged father. According to the retired leader, he did not really know his father. At least not the way he wished he did.
Obama’s dad left his mum when he was just two years old. The late scholar visited the former US president once and would occasionally converse with him through letters.
“He left my mother and me when I was two years old, and only travelled from Kenya to visit us once, when I was 10. That trip was the first and last I saw of him; after that, I heard from him only through the occasional letter, written on thin blue airmail paper that was preprinted to fold and address without an envelope,” the father of two wrote in a Facebook post.
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Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
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