Sarah Obama, the step-grandmother to the first black President of the United States, Barack Obama has died at the age of 99.
Sarah Obama was reported to have died at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral hospital in Kisumu, Kenya’s third-largest city in the country’s west, where she was being treated for an undisclosed illness.
Marsat Onyango, her daughter who confirmed the sad news on Monday to the Associated Press (AP), said she passed away around 4.a.m. but did not disclose the cause of death.
“She died this morning. We are devastated,” Onyango told The Associated Press on a phone call.
Sarah Obama, as the step-grandmother of the former U.S. president was fondly called, was a philanthropist who promoted education for girls and orphans.
She will be remembered for her work to promote education to empower orphans, Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o said while offering his condolences to the people of Kogelo village for losing a matriarch.
“She was a philanthropist who mobilized funds to pay school fees for the orphans,” he said.
Sarah Obama, was the second wife of President Obama’s grandfather and helped raise his father, Barack Obama, Sr. The family is part of Kenya’s Luo ethnic group.
President Obama often showed affection toward her and referred to her as “Granny” in his memoir, “Dreams from My Father.” He described meeting her during his 1988 trip to his father’s homeland and their initial awkwardness as they struggled to communicate which developed into a warm bond. She attended his first inauguration as president in 2009.
Later, Obama spoke about his grandmother again in his September 2014 speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
For decades, Sarah has helped orphans, raising some in her home. The Mama Sara Obama Foundation helped provide food and education to children who lost their parents — providing school supplies, uniforms, basic medical needs, and school fees.
Details on preparations for her burial will be announced later, said her daughter. Sarah Obama was Muslim and it’s not clear whether she will be buried according to her faith’s practices that dictate she should be buried within 24 hours of death.