'I am happy about it,' Ida Odinga welcomes appointment to UNEP job

Ida Odinga has welcomed her appointment as Kenya’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Mama Ida, the spouse of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, thanked all who have sent congratulatory messages.

“To me it is an honour, and I am happy about it,” she told a congregation on Sunday.

The ambassadorial appointee also opened up on the challenges she has been going through since the death of the former Prime Minister in October 2025.

Ida pointed out some changes in her life, including being referred to as the “widow of Raila Odinga”.

A Canon at the ACK church, Mama Ida, also shared that she has been receiving a lot of media attention lately.

"These days, every time I switch on the TV, I see they are talking about me. Every time I buy the newspaper, it's 'Ida Odinga.' But I don’t fear anything; God is with me,” said the UNEP appointee.

President William Ruto on January 23 appointed Ida to the position, which fell vacant after Ababu Namwamba’s reassignment as Kenya's High Commissioner to Uganda.

While announcing Ida’s appointment, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei described her as a distinguished educationist, civic leader, and advocate for social justice and gender equity.

Mama Ida began her career as a teacher at Highway Secondary School in Nairobi before later teaching at Kenya High School, where she spent more than a decade in the classroom.