Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has mourned former Nairobi mayor Margaret Wambui Kenyatta, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s eldest sister, as a freedom fighter.
In a statement, Mr Odinga said: “As a family, we have had a long history with Margaret and her family from her days as a freedom fighter, through her father, the late President Jomo Kenyatta’s detention and her rise into a towering figure in Kenya’s landscape who ended up being the first and only female Mayor of Nairobi.”
Ms Wambui, he said, was adopted into the Jaramogi family during her father’s detention, making her part of his extended family.
“Over the years, she remained a bridge between our two families. We knew her as a loving and deeply caring lady who towered over Kenya’s landscape with humility and decency,” he said.
Mr Odinga said that although she is gone, her place is preserved in Kenyan history.
“As Jaramogi’s family, we stand with her family in prayer and wish them strength at this moment of loss. We also offer profound gratitude for all that she did for our country,” he said.
The first and only woman to become Mayor of Nairobi, Margaret Wambui Kenyatta, was the first daughter of founding Kenya President Jomo Kenyatta and a half sister to President Uhuru Kenyatta. She died yesterday at her home in Lavington aged 89.
