Personal Life
Baptised as an Anglican in his youth, Odinga later became a Born-Again Christian through an Evangelical church in Nairobi.
Odinga is married to Ida Odinga (née Anyango Oyoo). They live in Karen, Nairobi, and have a second home at Opoda Farm, in the Bondo District. The couple have four children: Fidel (born 1973), Rosemary (born 1977), Raila Jr. (born 1979) and Winnie (born 1990). Fidel is named after Fidel Castro and Winnie after Winnie Mandela. Winnie is currently studying Communication and International Area Studies as a double major student at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
In an interview with BBC News in January 2008, Odinga asserted that he was the first cousin of U.S. president Barack Obama through Obama's father. However, Barack Obama's paternal uncle denied any direct relation to Odinga, stating "Odinga's mother came from this area, so it is normal for us to talk about cousins. But he is not a blood relative." Obama's father came from the same Luo community as Odinga.
Odinga briefly played soccer for Luo Union (now Gor Mahia) as a midfielder.
Odinga was appointed by the African Union to mediate the 2010-2011 Ivorian crisis, which involved Alassane Ouattara and Laurent Gbagbo.
Read more about this topic: Raila Odinga
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