MP MILLIE ODHIAMBO defends burial plans for RAILA ODINGA’s sister, BERYL ACHIENG, as critics say it’s against LUO customs

Friday, December 05, 2025 - National Assembly Minority Whip, Millie Odhiambo, has stepped into the heated debate surrounding the burial of Raila Odinga’s sister, Beryl Odinga.

Cultural critics have argued that the plans go against Luo traditions, but Millie insists the criticism is misplaced.

In a social media post on December 5^th, 2025, the Suba North MP challenged those pushing for strict adherence to customs.

“All those who firmly opine that Beryl Odinga should be buried according to Luo customs, please confirm that your six lower teeth have been removed in strict conformity to Culture,” she wrote, questioning whether critics themselves fully practice the traditions they demand.

Beryl, who passed away on November 25^th, 2025, will be laid to rest at her father’s Kango ka Jaramogi home in Bondo on December 6^th.

The decision was announced by Raila Odinga Jr on November 29^th.

Some critics argue that Beryl, also known as Beryl Otieno, should have been buried at her husband’s homestead.

Her late husband, Otieno Ambala, served as Gem Constituency MP in 1974, and the couple had two children.

However, Raila Odinga’s 2014 biography Flames of Freedom described the marriage as toxic, noting that Beryl fled to Zimbabwe after enduring abuse.

In Zimbabwe, she made history as the first black town clerk of Mutare, the country’s third-largest city.

Ambala later died in 1985 while serving a prison sentence at Kodiaga Prison.

The Kenyan DAILY POST