The nomination, announced Friday by State House Chief of Staff Felix Koskei, comes just four months after her husband’s death in October 2025, marking a significant political appointment that bridges Kenya’s long-standing political divide.

If approved by Parliament, the 73-year-old educationist and civic leader will replace Ababu Namwamba, who was recently reassigned to Kampala.

“His Excellency the President has, in exercise of the prerogative vested in the Head of State and Government, caused the nomination of Canon Dr. Ida Betty Odinga, E.G.H., for appointment as Ambassador/Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations Environment Programme,” Koskei stated in the official press release.

The nomination recognizes Mama Ida as a “distinguished educationist, civic leader, and an acclaimed advocate for social justice and gender equity” whose career spans decades of public service.

According to the State House statement, her professional journey began as “a graduate teacher at Highway Secondary School in Nairobi, and later at Kenya High School, where over a decade in the classroom nurtured a deep-rooted and enduring commitment to education.”

The announcement describes her as having been “the lifelong companion of the former Prime Minister, the Right Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga, C.G.H., until his demise on 15th October, 2025,” noting that “her life’s work stands as a testament to the highest ideals of selfless service, defined by courage, sacrifice, grace under fire, and an unceasing commitment to advancing women’s education and empowerment.”

During the turbulent 1990s democracy movement, Mama Ida carved out her own political identity as founding Chairperson of the League of Kenya Women Voters, playing what the press release calls “a key role in advancing calls for change and democratic reform” during Kenya’s transition to multiparty democracy.

Beyond politics, she has contributed to Kenya’s private sector through family enterprises, including East African Spectre, described as “a liquefied gas cylinder manufacturing company that has made considerable contributions to the nation’s energy sector.”

Her accolades include Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (E.G.H.) conferred in 2018, two Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees, and awards from the Human Achievers Foundation.

“Her appointment to this role, subject to the requisite parliamentary approval, is expected to amplify Kenya’s voice on environmental issues and further reinforce the country’s longstanding leadership in environmental diplomacy,” the statement reads.

The nomination now heads to the National Assembly for vetting and approval, where it is likely to generate intense political debate given Kenya’s complex political landscape and the symbolic weight of appointing Raila Odinga’s widow to a prestigious international post.

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The plans to remove former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko from office were orchestrated at State House, the Anti-Corruption Court heard on Monday.

Testifying before Milimani Principal Magistrate Charles Ondieki, former Nairobi County CEC for Finance, Winfred Gathagu, alleged that the graft charges leveled against Sonko were part of a well-planned strategy spearheaded by senior officials at State House aimed at pushing him out of office.

“My colleagues and I from the Nairobi County were approached severally by senior officials from State House in order to assist in coming up with solid cases against my former boss, Mike Sonko, for court cases, impeachment, and so on,” Gathagu told the court.

Gathagu testified that Sonko was targeted due to his anti-corruption stance at City Hall, asserting that the entire plan to oust him was hatched at the highest levels of government.

“That all happened because Sonko was fighting corruption at City Hall,” she stated.

Led in her evidence by lawyers Assa Nyakundi and Elizabeth Ochieng, the former finance officer detailed how she was drawn into the case, revealing that she had recorded two statements with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on January 15 and 20, 2020. 

The finance officer said that she had testified in the case both as a prosecution witness, under witness protection, and as a defence witness for Sonko

Although she initially testified for the prosecution, she refused to lie in court and chose to tell the truth.

As a result, the state almost arrested her.

She further informed the court of her involvement with Webtribe Ltd, also known as Jambo Pay, the firm contracted to provide electronic revenue collection services for the Nairobi County Government.

“I made payments to Webtribe, also known as Jambo Pay, when I was Chief Officer Finance for the services that were rendered for collecting revenue electronically on behalf of the Nairobi County Government.”

When questioned about her familiarity with the company’s leadership,  she responded:”Yes, I am aware of the director Danson Muchemi, since we used to liaise with them on a day-to-day basis on revenue collection. I confirm I found the company had already been rendering services to the former governor evans Kidero administration since 2018.”

She clarified that payments were made without external influence and explained the reasons behind delays.

“I paid the company without any influence. The main reason for delayed payments to Jambo Pay was because the exchequer had not released money to the county, and sometimes the money the county had was used to cater for urgent operational costs,” Gathagu stated.

She emphasized that Sonko was not involved in any specific payment processes.

“Sonko was not involved in the payments of services offered. He was only involved in budget-making.”

When questioned by Lawyer Nyakundi on whether she was ever influenced by Sonko to make payments to any individuals, including an alleged 25,000 people, she denied the claims outright.

“I was not influenced by Sonko to effect any payments, including to service providers. I would pay service providers after receiving money from the Central Bank of Kenya.”

Gathagu further testified that Sonko had raised concerns about the integrity of City Hall cashiers.

“Sonko kept complaining about cashiers at City Hall and would threaten to have them sacked for malpractices.”

She added: “It is true that we discovered some irregularities in effecting payments and that is why my former boss Sonko kept complaining. We were trying to correct the same and when we discovered irregularities in the payment system, we fired the cashiers and hired fresh ones. The old cashiers had stayed for over five years.”

Despite her explosive claims about strategy meetings and the involvement of State House officials, Gathagu did not name any individuals involved in the alleged plot.

During cross-examination by DPP Wesley Nyamache, Gathagu admitted that she did not record any statement with the EACC concerning the State House plot against Sonko.

The former finance boss was testifying in a sh 20 million graft case against Sonko and his co-accused Businessman Jamal Ombok.

The hearing continues

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