Beryl Odinga’s daughter has opened an emotional window into the grief her mother carried after the passing of her brother, the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, revealing that the loss shattered her in ways the family never fully understood until now.
Speaking during Beryl’s memorial service at Consolata Shrine on Wednesday, Chizi Ambala told mourners that her mother’s life changed the moment Raila died.
The two shared a bond so profound that Beryl openly declared she no longer felt she had a purpose on earth.
“When Baba passed, the first words out of my mom’s mouth were: ‘There is nothing for me on this earth anymore,’” she recalled, her voice breaking as she described a relationship that shaped their entire family.
Chizi painted a picture of two siblings whose closeness stretched across decades.
She recounted stories her mother told often, tender memories from the years when a young bachelor Raila lived in Nairobi West.
He would pick up his sister, take her to his apartment, and insist she sleep in his bed while he lay on the hard floor.
“That was the kind of love they had,” she said.
Even after Beryl’s marriage collapsed, Chizi said Raila’s support never wavered. One of the most defining chapters of their journey came when the two moved to Zimbabwe.
Chizi described the country as a second home chosen by both her mother and her uncle, a place where they built a shared life and lasting memories.
Throughout her tribute, she emphasised how present Raila had been in her mother’s life, in childhood and adulthood, in joyful seasons and in painful transitions.
“You often cannot tell how close two people really were until one of them is no longer here,” she said, describing a bond so deep that Beryl openly confessed life had lost its meaning the day Raila died.
Chizi remembered her mother as intelligent, strong willed, warm, and fiercely loving. But she also witnessed how grief aged her, softened her, and finally exhausted her.
“I prayed and prayed, but I now know I was selfish. I wanted her to stay here for me, not realising she had given so much and needed to rest,” she said quietly.
Beryl lived boldly and made her presence felt wherever she went. Now, as she navigates life without her, Chizi takes comfort in believing her mother has reunited with the people she loved most.
She said she is convinced Beryl is now at peace with Raila, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and Mama Mary.
“I will walk with grief for now, but one day grief will leave,” she said. “Heaven has taken you while my sorrow has engulfed me. I am grieving, yet I am glad you got to live life on your own terms.”
For Chizi, the pain remains fresh, but so does the love, a love she believes will outlast even the heaviest sorrow.
