The name Awori carries weight in Kenya’s modern history: judges, legislators, doctors, ministers and activists spring from a single extended family rooted in western Kenya. At the center of public attention is Arthur Moody Awori — “Uncle Moody” — the soft-spoken former vice-president whose longevity and public service have made him a living link to Kenya’s early post-colonial decades. But Moody is only one of a remarkably accomplished cluster of siblings, the product of Rev. Canon Jeremiah Awori and Mariamu Odongo’s unusually large brood. This feature digs into that family story, outlines who the principal siblings are, and — where records allow — gives current ages or life dates, noting limits where details are private or inconsistent.
A family shaped by faith and education
The Awori family traces its public profile to Rev. Canon Jeremiah Musungu Awori, one of the first ordained Luhya Anglican priests in the region, and his wife Mariamu Olubo Odongo. The couple raised a very large family — often reported as 16 children — in Butere and Busia near Kenya’s border with Uganda. Their emphasis on education and public service produced an unusually high number of professionals and public servants across East Africa.
Moody Awori — the best known sibling
Arthur Moody Awori is the most publicly visible Awori internationally. He served as Kenya’s ninth vice-president from September 25, 2003, to January 9, 2008, and before that spent decades in Parliament and government roles. Sources give Moody’s year of birth as either 1927 or 1928; most contemporary profiles list his birth date as 5 December 1928, meaning he is 96 turning 97 in December 2025 (some records report 1927, which would make him a year older). Where precision matters, note that published sources disagree on the exact year.
Moody is widely remembered for prison-reform advocacy, a calm public persona, and a reputation as a political “old guard” who nevertheless engendered broad respect across partisan lines during his time in office.
The notable siblings — who they are (and what we know about their ages)
The full Awori sibling list is large; journalism and family biographies commonly cite the following names among the most public-facing siblings: Ellen, Joshua, W.W.W. (Wycliffe Wasya Work) Awori, Rhoda, Moody, Hannington, Winifred, Margaret, Nelson, Ernest, Aggrey Siryoyi Awori, Grace, Mary (often Mary Okelo), and others. Several of the siblings died decades ago; others are still living and active in public life.
Below are the principal siblings whose public records allow us to state life dates or approximate ages:
- W.W.W. Awori (Wycliffe Wasya Work Awori) — Born 2 August 1925, died 5 May 1978. A pioneering journalist, trade-unionist and legislator in the pre- and early post-independence era, W.W.W. was one of the family’s earliest national figures. (Died 1978; would have been 100 in 2025.)
- Arthur Moody Awori — Born 5 December 1928 (commonly cited) — age ~96 in 2025. Former vice-president and long-time MP. (See note above about a small discrepancy in published birth years.) Wikipedia+1
- Aggrey Siryoyi Awori — Born 1939. Aggrey became a notable figure in his own right, serving in Ugandan politics (including as minister) and building a cross-border profile. If born in 1939, Aggrey would be about 86 in 2025. (Some profiles give his birthplace as Budimo village.)
- Other siblings (Ellen, Joshua, Rhoda, Hannington, Winifred, Margaret, Nelson, Ernest, Grace, Mary, etc.) — many of these names appear in family profiles and nation features on the Awori clan. National newspaper profiles describe several of the siblings as lawyers, doctors, educators and civil servants; but public birthdates for most of these siblings are not consistently available in open sources, or are recorded only in family memoirs and archived local records. Where siblings are deceased, the press sometimes lists their death but not always the birth year.
Why exact ages are hard to fix
Two issues make a precise table of ages difficult. First, public records from early 20th-century rural Kenya are incomplete and occasionally inconsistent (note the different birth years reported for Moody). Second, many siblings maintained professional careers without becoming constant national headlines, so their exact birthdates are not always public. For these reasons, this piece gives verified dates where they exist and otherwise summarizes roles and contributions.
A family of “firsts” and public servants
Multiple Awori siblings achieved pioneering positions: from W.W.W.’s role in the Legislative Council and the independence struggle to later siblings entering medicine, law, diplomacy and cross-border politics. One contemporary profile in the Daily Nation described the clan as “one famous family of scholars and top leaders,” noting the unusually high proportion of children who reached professional prominence. The family’s diverse roles — in journalism, politics, public administration and academia — helped shape regional leadership in Western Kenya and, through Aggrey, parts of Uganda too.
Portraits, tensions and legacy
The Awori family story is not only about individual success but about how a single household produced civic engagement across generations. Their father’s position in the Anglican church and local councils gave his children access to schooling and networks that were scarce in the colonial era. That foundation was a key factor in producing a cluster of professionals who left durable marks on Kenya’s public life.
At the same time, the family’s public visibility has occasionally invited political scrutiny and rumor — from mistaken obituaries to speculation about inheritance and influence. The siblings have weathered both praise and controversy, but their shared pattern remains clear: commitment to education and public service.
What we can say with confidence — and where to look next
Confident facts
- The Awori siblings are the children of Rev. Canon Jeremiah Awori and Mariamu Odongo; the household produced a very large family (commonly reported as 16 children).
- Moody Awori is the most famous sibling, served as vice-president (2003–2008) and was born on 5 December (sources list 1928 commonly).
- W.W.W. Awori (1925–1978) and Aggrey Awori (born 1939) are among other siblings with verifiable public records.
Open items / caveats
- Exact birth years for several siblings are not publicly documented in high-quality online sources; local civil-registration archives, family memoirs (for example Seizing the Moment, cited in earlier profiles), or church records in Butere would be the most reliable sources for a complete, date-accurate family table.
The Awori family is a striking example of how one household’s investment in education and civic life can ripple across generations and nations. Moody Awori’s longevity and public career make him the family’s most visible ambassador, but the deeper story is collective: siblings who became journalists, legislators, ministers, professionals and community leaders. For readers wanting a fully documented genealogy (birth dates for every sibling and their children), the next step would be targeted archival work — church records, colonial era civil registries and the family’s own memoirs and oral histories — sources that sit largely outside the public web.
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