Known widely among Kenyans as Mama Sarah, Muslim have mourned the death of Barack Obama’s step-grandmother, Sarah Obama.
She died at a hospital in Kenya at the age of 99
“Fare thee well Mama Sarah Obama. You have been in the forefront in advancing the education agenda and an ardent defender of the girl child’s rights and that of the vulnerable population,” Governor Hassan Joho of Mombasa wrote.
“You will always remain a symbol of strength, kindness and humility.”
‘Mama Sarah’ was the third wife of the former US leader’s paternal grandfather, Hussein Onyango Obama. She helped raise the former president’s father, Barack Sr.
President Obama called her ‘Granny,’ in his book ‘Dreams from My Father.’ She rose to national prominence in 2006 when Obama, then US senator, visited Kenya.
Her modest homestead became a tourist attraction when Obama was elected America’s first ever black president in 2008.
📚 Read Also: Obama’s Grandmother in Makkah for Umrah
“We will miss her dearly,” Barack Obama said, “but we’ll celebrate with gratitude her long and remarkable life.”
Mourning Mama Sarah
As she was buried on Tuesday, many Muslims have gone online to mourn her death:
Sarah Obama was born in 1922 in a village on Lake Victoria, according to AFP, She was a Muslim, belonging to part of Kenya’s Luo ethnic group.
As a devout Muslim, she performed hajj in 2010 and also umrah in 2015.
She ran a foundation in Kenya to help educate orphans and girls.
On November 19, 2014, Sarah Obama received the Pioneer Award from the United Nations for the work of an education foundation that she headed.
📚 Read Also: Two Conditions for Forgiveness in Sha’ban