The paternal grandmother of President Barack Obama, Sarah Obama, has passed away at the age of 99 inside of a Kenyan hospital. The family matriarch died at 4 AM local time while being treated at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral hospital.
"Mama was sick with normal diseases, she did not die of COVID-19," confirmed family spokesperson Sheik Musa Ismail. She had reportedly been ill for a week before being admitted to the hospital where she tested negative for the virus. She will be buried on Tuesday.
"My family and I are mourning the loss of our beloved grandmother, Sarah Ogwel Onyango Obama, affectionately known to many as 'Mama Sarah' but known to us as 'Dani' or Granny," said former President Barack Obama on Twitter. "We will miss her dearly, but we’ll celebrate with gratitude her long and remarkable life."
He posted an older picture of himself and Mama Sarah from a visit to Africa.
The President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, said, "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."
Rest in peace, Mama Sarah Obama.