Ida Odinga the spouse of the late former prime minister Raila Odinga on Friday offered a glimpse into her personal and professional journey as she appeared before Parliament.
She attended the session for vetting as Kenya’s nominee for Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep).
President William Ruto recently appointed her to the position.
Speaking before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations, Ida traced her roots to Kabarnet, where she was born at a hospital where both her parents worked.
“I was born in Kabarnet, at a hospital where both my parents served. My father was a medical officer, and my mother a nurse,” she told the committee.
She said she lost her father at a young age, leaving her mother to raise the family.
“I lost my father at a young age, and my mother raised us,” she said, describing her upbringing as one grounded in resilience and service.
Ida added that she grew up in Gem and later in Migori, experiences she said shaped her understanding of rural communities and development challenges.
She pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Nairobi, specialising in Geography — a course she said laid the foundation for her interest in environmental issues.
“I went to UoN for a Bachelor of Arts degree, specialising in Geography, which exposed me to environmental issues,” she told MPs.
