Profile: Who Was Beryl Odinga?

Beryl Achieng Odinga, who passed away Tuesday while undergoing treatment at a Nairobi hospital was the younger sister of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

A distinguished professional and trailblazer, Beryl’s life spanned continents and careers, leaving an indelible mark in both Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Beryl completed her Form Six (‘A’ Levels) studies in December 1972 and went on to pursue a career in teaching and law.

She made history as the first black Town Clerk of Mutare, Zimbabwe’s third-largest city, where she played a pivotal role in post-independence urban development.

After returning to Zimbabwe as a bona fide resident, she continued to rebuild her life and career, later serving as Company Secretary at the Housing Corporation of Zimbabwe.

In 2020, she was appointed by former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko to the board of the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company.

During a birthday celebration for Oburu Odinga in October 2023, Beryl shared that she had been classmates with prominent Kenyan leaders, including former Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o.

Beryl married Otieno Ambala in 1974, an aspiring legislator who later passed away from a heart attack in 1985 while at Kodiaga Prison.

Raila’s 2014 biography, The Flame of Freedom, recounts how Beryl endured an abusive marriage, which eventually led her to flee Kenya in the 1980s with her children.

Seeking refuge in Zimbabwe, she was granted asylum and began working with the Ministry of Local Government, where she helped shape urban planning policy in the newly independent nation.

Her most notable contributions include designing the Chitungwiza Town planning policy, later implemented during her tenure as Town Planning Director at Chitungwiza Town Council (CTC).

Beryl’s work modernised the town’s urban framework, curbing informal peri-urban settlements and influencing the structure of the city for decades.