Former President Barack Obama has announced that his grandmother, Sarah Ogwel Onyango Obama, has died at the age of 99 at home in Kenya. He issued a statement about her death on Twitter. His statement reads:
"My family and I are mourning the loss of our beloved grandmother, Sarah Ogwel Onyango Obama, affectionately known to many as 'Mama Sarah' but known to us as 'Dani' or Granny. We will miss her dearly, but we'll celebrate with gratitude her long and remarkable life."
Sarah's death was also confirmed by her daughter, Marsat Onyango, who shared that her mother died in Kisumu, Kenya, after being sick for a week. She also added that her mother did not die of COVID-19.
Sarah was regarded as the matriarch of the Obama family in Kenya and was the third wife of President Obama's grandfather. Like her grandson, Sarah was heavily invested in education and regularly raised money to offer more learning opportunities for girls and orphans in Kenya.
The president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, also released a statement about her death:
"The passing away of Mama Sarah is a big blow to our nation. We've lost a strong, virtuous woman. A matriarch who held together the Obama family and was an icon of family values."
President Obama's election in 2008 shot Sarah and the rest of his family to international fame, but before then she was known locally for the food she served each day at a local school. Her home became a bit of an international hot spot after President Obama visited in 2006; tourists began knocking on her door to say hello.
Sarah was born in 1922 near Lake Victoria and was the third wife of Barack Obama's grandfather, Hussein Onyango Obama, who died in 1979. President Obama and Sarah were not related by blood, but he regarded her as his grandmother all the same.
Barack's father, Barack Obama Sr., is the son of Hussein and Habiba Akumu Nyanjango. He met President Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, in a Russian class at the University of Hawaii. The two married rather quickly in a time when interracial marriage was still illegal in many parts of the United States.
Ann moved to Seattle after their baby was born, while Barack Obama's father remained in Hawaii. As many people now know, Barack's mother was a huge influence on his life. While she died long before his political aspirations and successes came to fruition, he has often credited her with putting him on his political path.
