Ida Odinga is a household name in the Kenyan political scene.
Many know Ida as the wife of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. By profession, Ida Odinga is a teacher and a prominent businesswoman. Away from the political scene, many want to know how Ida met Raila.The two met at the University of Nairobi while Raila was working at the same institution in the Department of Engineering in the early 1970s. This was before Raila entered into active politics. After years of courtship, the two got married in 1973. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nairobi in 1974 and worked as a high school teacher for more than twenty years. When interviewed at a local media station, Mr Odinga disclosed that with his cousin, they had decided to visit Ida’s brother who resided in the outskirts of Nairobi’s CBD then. That is where he met this lady who was charmingly beautiful. Since he couldn't tell her on the first day of meeting, he organised to meet her in person at a later date and express his love for her. Her husband’s entrance into political activities affected her particularly after he was imprisoned for the infamous 1982 attempted coup. She had to raise their children by herself while working as a teacher. They have four children including the late Fidel Odinga who died in 2015.#historynow