NAIROBI, Kenya – Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s widow, Mama Ida Odinga, has visited People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua alongside her daughters Winnie and Rosemary Odinga to condole with her following the death of her father, Mwalimu Jackson Karua.
The three women visited Karua at her residence on Tuesday, September 29, two days after the death of her father.
The visit brought together members of the two families at a difficult moment for Karua, who has been mourning the loss of her father since Sunday.
The Orange Democratic Movement said Ida, Winnie and Rosemary condoled with Karua and wished her and the wider Karua family strength during the mourning period.
Karua later shared photographs from the visit and thanked the three women for taking the time to be with her family.
“We had a beautiful visit from Mama Ida, Winnie and Rosemary Odinga,” Karua said.
She described the encounter as more than a condolence visit, saying the experience of loss had created a shared understanding between the families.
“The weight of losing someone who has been such a central part of your life is a grief we sadly share, but one that has also given us a deeper understanding of what it means to hold each other through loss,” she added.
Karua said her relationship with the Odinga family had endured through different stages of life and remained important during difficult moments.
“Through the years, we have shared many seasons of life and continue to hold bonds that carry us through the difficult moments too,” she said.
She thanked Mama Ida, Winnie and Rosemary for showing up during the mourning period.
“Thank you for coming to be with us and share in our grief,” Karua said.
The family sang his favourite gospel hymn during the visit, not knowing it would become their final time together.
“My siblings and I spent time with him and sang his favourite gospel hymn, never knowing it would be our last song together,” Karua said.
She later received news of his death while travelling back to Nairobi.
“On my way back to Nairobi, I received the news that my beloved father had breathed his last,” she added.
The former presidential candidate said she remained grateful for the opportunity to spend those final moments with her father.
She acknowledged that losing a parent remains painful regardless of age, especially when the person has played a central role throughout one’s life.
“There is never really an age at which you are prepared to say goodbye to someone who has been part of your life from the very beginning,” Karua said.
In her tribute, Karua remembered Jackson as a teacher and a principled man who valued education, character and doing what was right.
She also highlighted the role he played in her own life, saying his support remained constant as she moved from school into law and later public life.
“My father believed in me long before I had achieved anything worth celebrating,” she said.
Karua described him as one of her strongest supporters, saying he remained proud, encouraging and present throughout the different chapters of her life.
She also remembered him first and foremost as a father who was steady, generous and loving.
His death, she said, had affected his children, grandchildren, wider family and the many people whose lives he touched.
Karua said she would miss his voice, counsel and encouragement, as well as the reassurance that came from knowing he was always there.
She ended her tribute by thanking him for believing in her and standing by her throughout her life.
“To my father, thank you for believing in me, for standing beside me, and for loving me through every chapter of my life. I am deeply grateful to have been your daughter,” she said.
