By Our Correspondent
Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui has congratulated Ida Odinga on her appointment as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
In a message shared on Facebook, Lee praised Odinga’s long record of public service and national sacrifice.
“Mama Ida, kindly accept my congratulations on your appointment as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to UNEP,” he said.
He said her sacrifice and dedication to serving the nation was outstanding, and he was confident that Ida would discharge her duties with excellence.
He added that Ida’s journey offered lessons in perseverance and patience.
“In you, we learn the true value of perseverance, patience, and dedication. We celebrate your accomplishments,” Kinyanjui said, adding: “Baba’s legacy lives on.”
President William Ruto on Friday nominated Canon Dr Ida Betty Odinga for appointment as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UNEP.
The nomination was made under the President’s constitutional powers and has been forwarded to the National Assembly for approval.
Ida is a veteran educator, civic leader and gender equity advocate. She spent more than a decade teaching at Highway Secondary School and Kenya High School, mentoring generations of students.
She is also a long-time women’s rights campaigner and was a founding chairperson of the League of Kenya Women Voters during the push for multiparty democracy in the early 1990s.
Beyond public service, she has been involved in private sector enterprises, including East African Spectre, a gas cylinder manufacturing firm.
Ida has received several national and international honours, among them Kenya’s highest civilian award, the Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart.
If approved, her appointment is expected to strengthen Kenya’s role in global environmental diplomacy. The country hosts UNEP headquarters in Nairobi.