Barack Obama’s Grandmother Has Died At 99

Former President Barack Obama‘s grandmother has reportedly passed away at the age of 99. New reports claim the first Black head of state in United States history’s family member died following a brief illness.

Barack Obama’s Grandmother Has Died

According to reports, Mama Sarah Onyango Obama‘s daughter broke the news on Monday and revealed she died at a Kenya hospital. A family spokesperson revealed the late Obama did not die from COVID-19 but had been sick for the past few days.

The matriarch of the Obama family and second wife of Barack’s grandfather, Mama Sarah was passionate about raising money to educate girls and orphans in Kenya. She even had a foundation that fed and educated children who lost their parents. Mama Sarah became somewhat of a celebrity in Africa during Obama’s time in The White House, even attending his inauguration in 2009. In his memoir, Barack referred to her as “Granny” and referenced a trip when he met her in the ’80s … he also mentioned her during his 2014 speech at the U.N. General Assembly. (TMZ)

Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta has since shared a statement about the world’s loss.

“The passing away of Mama Sarah is a big blow to our nation. We’ve lost a strong, virtuous woman. A matriarch who held together the Obama family and was an icon of family values.” (Statement)

There are currently plans to bury Mama Sarah Obama as soon as tomorrow.

The family is making arrangements to have her buried tomorrow (Tuesday) at her Kogelo home. The family’s spokesman Sheikh Musa Ismail said Mama Obama will be buried before mid-day. (Nation)

Barack Obama References His Grandmother

During a General Assembly in 2014, Barack spoke on his grandmother. Specifically, he referenced her home in Kenya and the power people had through knowledge.

“In my grandmother’s village, more than 200 miles outside of Nairobi, you could hold in your hand more information than the world’s greatest libraries. Together, we’ve learned how to cure disease and harness the power of the wind and the sun. The very existence of this institution is an achievement, the people of the world committing to solving their differences peacefully, to solve their problems together.”

Mama Sarah Obama’s Health

Mama Sarah Obama’s daughter provided details about her passing. According to Marsat Obama, Mama Sarah had a stroke last year.

Her demise was confirmed by her daughter, Marsat Obama, who told the Nation that her mother died at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kisumu at 4.45am on Monday morning. She had been admitted to the hospital on Sunday morning. She said her mother had been ailing for some time now and had suffered a stroke in September last year. “She was diagnosed with stroke in September last year and had blood sugar related problems,” she told the Nation by phone. (Nation)

The 2020 Playlist

In December 2020, Barack Obama took to his Twitter with a list of audio fire. Some of his favorite songs of the year picks included music from Gunna, JID, Travis Scott, WizKid, and more. He credited his daughter Sasha for pulling together the tracks for him.

“Here are some of my favorite songs of the year. As usual, I had some valuable consultation from our family music guru, Sasha, to put this together. I hope you find a new song or two to listen to.”