Habiba Akumu Obama is a name that has remained recognized for making it possible for the United States to have its 44th President. Habiba Akumu Obama was born in 1918 as Akumu Nyanjoga.
She was the paternal grandmother of the former President of the United States, Barack Obama. Habiba was the second wife of Hussein Onyango Obama, and she had three children with Onyango Obama.
Among the three children Habiba had with her first husband, Barack Obama Sr, the former President of the United States’s father, were among them and two girls, Sara and Auma. Habiba Akumu led a miserable life as the second wife of Hussein Onyango Obama, and she chose to abandon her first husband and the three children she had with him.
Habiba Akumu Obama later married, and she moved to Tanganyika, currently called Tanzania. When she married her second husband, Salmin Onyango, she converted to being a Muslim, adopting the name Habiba.
Habiba Akumu Obama’s Children
Habiba Akumu Obama had three children when she married her first husband, Hussein Onyango Obama. Her first child was called Sarah Obama, born in 1933, while Barack Obama Sr was born in 1934 as the second child.
Barack Obama Sr was cared for by his father and stepmother, and he went to the United States, where he was educated at Havard University and the University of Hawai. After Habiba’s only son finished his education in the United States, he returned to Kenya and worked with the government as an economist.
Barack Obama Sr held high positions and served in the transport and finance ministries. According to some sources, Barack Obama Sr married at least three times and had five children, including the former President of the United States.
The third child of Habiba Akumu Obama was Hawa Auma Hussein, the youngest aunt of united President Barrack Obama. Her year of birth is unclear.
Habiba Akumu Obama’s First Husband
Habiba Akumu Obama’s first husband was called Hussein Anyango Obama. During British colonialism in Kenya, Hussein Onyango Obama learnt to speak, read and write in English, the language used by the Kenyan colonialists. Because of the language, he was able to work as a mission cook and local herbalist.
Habiba’s first husband joined the King’s African Rifles during World War I. In 949, Onyango was sentenced to six months in Kamiti prison. He was accused of being part of a banned organization.
Onyango Obama was tortured for six months because he was suspected of being part of the Mau Mau rebels. As a result of the torture he had undergone, he was permanently scarred and would not speak of what had happened to him.
His third wife records that he returned while very thin, dirty, and full of lice. Until Onyango Obama died, he had difficulties moving around and was helped by his family.
Habiba Akumu Obama’s Grandson
Barrack Obama was the grandson of Habiba Akumu Obama. Barack was born to Habiba’s only son Barrack Obama Sr. Barack Obama senior had many wives, and he had a relationship with a foreigner with English ancestry leading to the birth of the 44th president of the United States of America.