Kibra MP aspirant Rosemary Odinga has been flown to South Africa for further treatment after being in hospital for eight days.
Rosemary, Cord leader Raila Odinga’s second born, was flown out at about 11am yesterday accompanied by neurosurgeon Oluoch Olunya and Amref flying doctors. A source privy to the matter revealed this to the Star yesterday, but could not identify the South African hospital to which she was admitted.
The source said she had been flown to South Africa for rehabilitation. Reports earlier indicated that Rosemary had a brain tumour but that it was non-cancerous.
She was admitted to Nairobi Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit after complaining of constant headaches.
But an hour later, Rosemary was rushed to Aga Khan Hospital, where doctors conducted tests to remove the problem.
Sources at the hospital said the tumour had caused internal bleeding. The source said doctors at Aga Khan were only stopping the bleeding and did not perform the operation.
Rosemary’s tumour, a meningioma, can cause blindness, problems with movement and multiple complications as it grows and presses into the brain.
It is not immediately life-threatening but remains a serious threat to Rosemary’s health, as it affects the meninges - the lining between the brain and the skull.
Rosemary, 39, is functionally the first born, following the death of her elder brother Fidel on January 4, 2015. She is followed by Winnie Odinga and Raila Odinga Jnr, who is the last born.
Rosemary officially launched her bid in January for the Kibra constituency seat currently held by Kenneth Okoth. She launched her candidature at the Kamukunji grounds, which is popular for opposition political rallies. The grounds are regularly frequented by her father for making strong political statements.
Rosemary’s first political act was as a teenager when she wrote an open letter to President Daniel Moi, asking him to release her father from detention in the 1980s.