Sarah Onyango Obama

Sarah Onyango Obama (1922 – March 29, 2021) was a Kenyan educator and philanthropist. She was married to Hussein Onyango Obama, who was the paternal grandfather of U.S. President Barack Obama. Sarah Obama was known by various names, including Sarah Ogwel, Sarah Hussein Obama, and Sarah Anyango Obama. She resided in Nyang'oma Kogelo village, located approximately 48 kilometers (30 miles) west of Kisumu, a major city in western Kenya, near Lake Victoria.

As a young woman, Sarah Obama contributed to raising her stepson, Barack Obama Sr. She emphasized the importance of education and frequently took him to primary school by bicycle to ensure he received education she was unable to access herself. Her first meeting with her step-grandson, Barack Obama II, occurred during his visit to Kenya in 1988. Although she was not a blood relation, Barack Obama referred to her as "Granny Sarah." He mentioned her in his memoir, "Dreams from My Father," and spoke about her during his 2014 address to the United Nations General Assembly. Communication between Sarah Obama and President Barack Obama was conducted through an interpreter, as she spoke Luo and had limited English proficiency.

During the 2008 United States presidential campaign, Sarah Obama publicly opposed efforts to depict Barack Obama as a foreigner or Muslim, asserting that his grandfather was Muslim but emphasizing that children today often have different religious affiliations from their parents. She previously worked as a cook for Christian missionaries but identified herself as a strong believer in the Islamic faith.

Sarah Obama attended the United States Independence Day celebrations in Nairobi on July 4, 2008, hosted by U.S. Ambassador Michael Ranneberger. She also participated in Barack Obama’s inaugural ceremony in January 2009. In 2010, she established the Mama Sarah Obama Foundation with the goal of providing food and education to orphans, some of whom she sheltered in her home.

On November 19, 2014, she received the Pioneer Award in Education at the United Nations during the inaugural Women’s Entrepreneurship Day event. In her acceptance speech, she expressed the foundation's vision for nurturing children physically, educationally, and emotionally to enable their success.

Sarah Obama died on March 29, 2021, at the age of 99 in a hospital in Kisumu, Western Kenya, after suffering from an undisclosed illness. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a statement honoring her, describing her as strong, virtuous, and an icon of family values.