The Odinga family is among the most prominent in the country, producing national leaders to heads of various other sectors. The family patriarch, Mzee Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was Kenya’s first vice president and would later make a stab at the presidency.
The family has produced brains that have held some of the highest offices in the country starting with ODM leader Raila Odinga.
WoK in this article takes a look at some of the schools the Odingas attended, the courses they pursued and the positions they have done in line with their academic career paths.
Oburu Odinga
The politician stated in his 500-page autobiography titled ‘In the shadow of my father’ that life growing up was tough and he had to go to school in akala (shoes made from car tyres).
‘‘We used to go to school in akala with one pair of uniforms and those were a luxury at that time,’’ Oburu said in a past event.
Oburu started his high school in the prestigious Maranda High School but proceeded to Soviet Secondary School in the then Soviet Union just after one year.
He is an Economist by profession. He holds PhD in Economics from Peoples’ Friendships University in USSR, an MSc degree in Economics and Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the same University.
He has held various portfolios in both Public and Private sector. He was the General Manager of LUTATCO, Finance Director of Lolwe Transporters and Senior Administrative Assistant in Kisumu Municipal Council.
He also served in the Public Service as an economist in the Ministry of Planning and National Development.
Raila Odinga
The ODM leader is a Mechanical Engineer by Profession. He attended Maranda High School before proceeding to the Herder Institut, a part of the University of Leipzig in East Germany.
In 1965, he proceeded to Technical School, Magdeburg (now Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg) in the then East Germany. In 1970, he graduated with an MSc (Masters of Science) in Mechanical Engineering. He came back to Kenya and became a Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nairobi.
In 1971, he founded the Standard Processing Equipment Construction and Erection Limited (later renamed East Africa Spectre Ltd). The Company specialized in the manufacture of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders.
In 1974, together with fellow Engineers he established the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and became its Group Standards Manager. He was promoted to the Bureau’s Deputy Director in 1978.
He has since maintained an active life in politics.
Israel. O. Agina
He is a German-trained engineer and holds a Diploma in Business Management from the Helsinki School of Economics. He is multilingual with proficiency in German, and Korean among other languages and is widely travelled.
Agina boasts a distinguished career in leadership in both public and private sectors spanning over 40 years in various positions of responsibility.
According to the Spectre EA Ltd website, Agina sits in various policy and monitoring bodies:
- Chairman of KIWASCO Board of Directors
- Chairman Kisumu County Business Coalition
- Kisumu County Budget and Economic Forum.
- Past Chair and Executive Member Kenya Association of Manufacturers, Nyanza/Western Chapter,
- Director Business Development and Membership Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kisumu County,
- Member City of Kisumu Urban Project Steering Committee,
- Patron Kisumu Against Crime
Ida Odinga
Mama Ida graduated from the University of Nairobi in 1974 with a BA in Education. She worked with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) from 1974 to 1992 as a graduate teacher in Kenya High and as a Senior Education Officer.
In 1992 together with other like-minded women founded the League of Kenya Women Voters (LKWV).
She is trained and experienced in Administration and Management of public affairs having been trained by the Kenya Institute of Administration. She has attended several Management Courses in and outside the country, and participated in Beijing Platform of Action and CSW meetings in New York among others.
Ida is a member of several organizations namely; Maendeleo Ya Wanawake, Kenya Women Finance Trust, National Council of Women of Kenya, and Co-ordinator Langata Constituency Women.
She was a Council Member for Maseno University, Board member of Kenyan Paraplegic Organisation (KPO), BOG Member for Nyamira Girls Secondary School, Gobei Secondary School, Ndede Island Primary School and Bar Opuk Primary School.
Fidel Odinga
The late Fidel attended Consolata Primary, Westlands and later proceeded to Mbeji Academy, Siaya, for his secondary school education.
He later moved to the United States, where he studied Business Management and Marketing at South Eastern University in Washington.
Upon his return to Kenya, he took up chains of businesses which helped in shaping the man he was. From supplying bitumen products to contractors in Kenya while taking care of his family business – East African Spectre Limited, to doing construction jobs, Fidel kept pounding for his success and that of the family businesses.
Rosemary Odinga
Born August 13, 1977, Rosemary is the eldest of Winnie Odinga and Raila Odinga Junior save for the late Fidel Odinga who was the firstborn in the family.
After high school, Rosemary moved to the United States where she worked and studied for a decade.
Also Read: Rosemary Odinga: The Only Snail Farmer In East Africa
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Howard University and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Dallas.
Rosemary is a snail farmer, an entrepreneur, an advocate for social justice. She is a devout advocate for youth empowerment and development. She is also the patron of the Upper Hill School Rugby team.
