Oburu Cuts Short Dubai Stay, Expected Back in Kenya on Friday as Odinga Family Faces Second Tragedy

Siaya Senator Dr Oburu Oginga is set to jet back into the country by Friday after cutting short a brief holiday in Dubai, returning to take charge of preparations for yet another funeral in a family already weighed down by grief.

Dr Oburu, the eldest surviving member of the Odinga family and its acknowledged patriarch, had travelled to the United Arab Emirates on November 21 for what his sister, Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga, described as a short three-day rest.

It was the first time he had stepped away from public and family engagements since the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on October 15, a loss that plunged the family into weeks of unrelenting mourning.

But the death of his younger sister, Beryl Achieng Odinga, on Tuesday has forced him to abandon the break and return home to steer the family through a second devastating loss in just over a month.

Relatives, friends and political allies have been gathering at the Lee Funeral Home and at Ms Achieng’s residence in Kileleshwa to condole with the family.

Others have made their way to Kang’o ka Jaramogi in Bondo, where they are offering comfort to Betty Oginga and Susan Oginga, the surviving widows of the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who have now lost two children in a span of forty days.

Speaking by phone, Emily Oginga, Achieng’s step sister, said burial plans will only begin in earnest after Dr Oburu’s return. She described the period as one of unimaginable pain for the family.

“It is not easy for us; it feels like death is harvesting from our home. We are waiting for Dr Oburu to return, most likely on Friday, so that we can meet and begin burial preparations. For now, relatives and friends are consoling with the family at her home in Kileleshwa,” she said.

The senator’s son, Jaoko Oburu, said his aunt’s passing has deepened wounds that had barely begun to heal. He said the family had encouraged his father to take a short break in Dubai after weeks of political activity that left him with no time to mourn Raila.

“We have been attending events in Homa Bay, Migori and the ODM@20 anniversary. We realised he had not had even a moment to mourn his brother, so as a family we insisted he needed rest. That is how he ended up in Dubai last Thursday,” Jaoko said. “Unfortunately, another loss struck before he could even settle.”

Jaoko paid tribute to his aunt in a message that captured the emotional strain the family is enduring. “To our loving mother and mentor Aunty B, words cannot express my sorrow in losing you just forty days after Baba. You will be missed. Your memory and legacy live on in us,” he said.

The shadow of Raila Odinga’s recent death still hangs heavily over the family as thousands continue to travel to Opoda Farm to pay their last respects at the former premier’s gravesite.

Among the latest visitors were members of civil society and a delegation led by Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.

With the return of Dr Oburu expected on Friday, the family will begin formal burial arrangements for Ms Achieng, marking yet another chapter of sorrow in a season of unrelenting loss.