Mama Sarah Obama laid to rest in Kogelo

Mama Sarah Obama, a Kenyan educator and philanthropist who promoted education for girls and orphans, was laid to rest on Tuesday.

Also Read: Former U.S. President Barack Obama mourns his grandmother Sarah Obama

She was also former U.S. President Barack Obama’s grandmother.

In her home village of Kogelo in eastern Kenya, mourners chanted and wailed for the woman popularly known as ‘Mama Sarah’.

Her grandson Malik Obama said it was a day of great sadness, but they have to accept the will of God.

“Allah brings us here and Allah takes us back. This is our home and we thank you for coming and we extend our gratitude to all the people who have come to support us here.”

Mama Sarah Obama was laid to rest at her home in Kogelo on Tuesday. She died at the age of 99 years. Residents mourned her as an educator and philanthropist who promoted education for girls and orphans

Video Courtesy: Reuters pic.twitter.com/eP9EWkh0u3

— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) March 31, 2021

Mama Sarah Obama died at a hospital in Kisumu on March 29, 2021 at 99 years.

Dan Omondi, a resident of Kogelo, said many had benefited from a foundation she had established.

“So while Sarah rests in peace, we the Kogelo residents are quite happy. We wish that more Mama Sarah Obama are born.”

In recognition of her work to support education, ‘Mama Sarah’ received the inaugural Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Education Pioneer Award from the United Nations in 2014.

She was the third wife of the paternal grandfather of Barack Obama and attended his first inauguration in 2009.

“My family and I are mourning the loss of our beloved grandmother, Sarah Ogwel Onyango Obama, affectionately known to many as ‘Mama Sarah’ but known to us as ‘Dani’ or Granny. We will miss her dearly, but we’ll celebrate with gratitude her long and remarkable life,” former U.S. President Barack Obama said on Twitter.

My family and I are mourning the loss of our beloved grandmother, Sarah Ogwel Onyango Obama, affectionately known to many as “Mama Sarah” but known to us as “Dani” or Granny. We will miss her dearly, but we’ll celebrate with gratitude her long and remarkable life. pic.twitter.com/avDY4f1PVu

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 29, 2021