Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s wife Ida Betty turns 74 today, August 24, 2024. Here are some of the memorable moments that have been prominent in the academician’s life.
Born on August 24, 1950, Ida Odinga pursued her education at Ogande Girls’ School in Homa Bay County and Highlands School (now Moi Girls High School) before she was admitted to the University of Nairobi where she would meet her partner for over 50 years- Raila.
In 2020, Ida headlined a fundraiser in Ogande Girls’ where a total of Ksh176 million was raised to construct a 500-student capacity modern library at his alma mater.
While Ida graduated from the University at 24 years old, she got married in the same year to Raila and began her teaching career with high hopes of progression at the all-girls Kenya High School.
Ida as a teacher
This, however, changed after the 1982 coup attempt which got his husband Raila in trouble with the late president Daniel Moi’s government.
During the arrest of Raila, Ida was equally kicked out of the Kenya High School staff quarters where she resided as a teacher.
The late Bomet governor Joyce Laboso was among some of the notable students of Ida at the Girls’ school.
Out of her hustle, Ida went ahead to join political courses and she became the chairperson of the League of Kenya Women Voters in 1991.
She is counted as one of the voices behind the Constitutional requirement of the two-thirds gender rule which has opened the space for women’s representation in positions of leadership.
Controversy
However, with leadership, Ida has her fair share of controversy away from being the spouse of Raila- a man loved and loathed in equal measure.
In January 2022, Ida was forced to apologise after she remarked that there was a growing concern about the mushrooming churches in the country, calling for their regulation during a meeting with the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK).
“We want Kenyans to subscribe to religions that are formally registered and not those whose belief systems are commodified. It is also important that we conduct training for all those who minister the word of God,” Ida said at the time.
The comments turned controversial, and the mother of three took to her social media to apologise to everyone who had taken offence to her comments.
“I wish to this morning withdraw the statement I made to NCCK to regulate the churches under them in order to promote consistency and relevance in messaging for promotion of evangelism in Kenya,” she said in a statement.