Beryl Achieng's funeral: Sakaja assures Odinga family of continued support

From left, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Nairobi Women Rep. Esther Passaris during Beryl Achieng Odinga funeral service at Consolata Shrine on December 3, 2025. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]  

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has assured the Odinga family that the late Beryl Achieng leadership role at the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) will remain

within the family.

Speaking during her memorial service at the Consolata Shrine in Nairobi, Sakaja said Beryl’s contribution to the city’s governance was profound and that the county government

would honour her memory by ensuring continuity.

“We will not leave you… the gap left by Beryl will stay in the family. We will ensure that one of you can take up that slot,” Sakaja told the family, praising her as a unifying and

dedicated leader whose work helped shape water sector reforms.

The governor recalled the personal bond he shared with Beryl, saying their relationship extended beyond official duties. He described visiting her in the ICU at Nairobi Hospital,

where she briefly showed signs of recovery before her condition worsened.

Sakaja also reflected on her close relationship with her brother, ODM leader Raila Odinga, noting that she had a unique ability to influence  him both for joy and for wrath.

ODM chairman John Mbadi and other leaders joined the family in eulogising Beryl, who died on November 25 at the age of 78 after a long illness.

Her elder brother, Oburu Oginga, said the family was struggling to cope with losing two siblings in just one month. “The weight is heavier on her children than on us,” he said,

calling the loss devastating but affirming the family’s faith for strength.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka remembered her as a warm and grounded classmate at the University of Nairobi, while DAP–K leader Eugene Wamalwa urged the family to draw

strength from God, recalling that the Odingas had recently stood with his family during their own bereavement.

Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi described Beryl as a woman of “tenacity, patriotism and integrity,” saying she embodied the values long associated with

the Odinga family.

Other leaders present included Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Woman Representative Esther Passaris, Kibra MP Mwalimu Orero and nominated Senator Crystal Asige.

Beryl Achieng, a daughter of Kenya’s first Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Mama Mary Ajuma Oginga, will be buried on Saturday, December 6, at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi

in Siaya County.