Ida Odinga in a past interview. [Photo: standard]
Ida Odinga, the spouse of Raila Odinga, was conspicuously missing from her husband's oath taking ceremony at Uhuru Park.
Raila was being sworn in on January 30 as the people's president and the absence of his wife raised eyebrows.
NASA had hyped the ceremony as the swearing in of Raila as the president, and the common practise world over, is for one to take oath of the highest office in the presence of his wife or husband.
However, Ida has come out to defend her absence.
She said as a mother, she was tending to their sick daughter and would not leave her to attend the function at Uhuru Park.
Another reason, she said, was the tension that sorrounded the whole affair.
"I think the whole exercise was done in an expeditious manner, with tension here and there," she said.
But NASA had her full blessings and support.
"They had my moral support," she said.