Ayyo Village Resort, Isiolo County| In a heartwarming display of gratitude that brought tears, laughter, and thunderous applause, more than three hundred former bursary beneficiaries, now accomplished nurses, engineers, teachers, civil servants, entrepreneurs, and security officers, converged on Ayyo Village on Saturday, 20 December 2025 to celebrate the man who single-handedly lifted them out of poverty through education: former Isiolo North Member of Parliament Hon. Hassan Odha Hulufo.
The sun-drenched thanksgiving ceremony, organized entirely by the beneficiaries themselves, was far more than a routine appreciation event. It was living proof that one leader’s vision and personal sacrifice can permanently alter the destiny of an entire community.
From the dusty paths of Isiolo’s remote villages emerged a generation of professionals who might never have seen the inside of a college or university lecture hall had Odha not quietly written cheques, followed up on school fees, and refused to let financial hardship snuff out their dreams.
Speaker after speaker took the microphone to recount personal stories of transformation. A young female surgeon spoke of how Odha personally intervened when her secondary school threatened to send her home for unpaid fees.
A junior human resource officer described arriving at university with nothing but the clothes on his back, only to find his full fees already settled by “Baba Odha,” as the former MP is now affectionately called by an entire generation.
An accountant who now works with a leading Nairobi firm broke down in tears while narrating how Odha’s bursary was the only thing that stood between his family selling their last goats to pay school fees or watching their brightest son drop out.
Throughout the emotional tributes, one message rang clear: Hassan Odha did not just give money; he gave hope, dignity, and a future.
In his response, a visibly moved Odha thanked the young professionals for organizing what he described as “the proudest day of my life.”
He reminded the gathering that education remains the most powerful tool for breaking cycles of poverty in northern Kenya, and urged the beneficiaries to pay it forward by supporting the next generation in their respective fields.
The former legislator also took the opportunity to send a strong political message that instantly electrified the crowd.
While expressing profound gratitude for the recognition, Odha hinted strongly at a possible return to active politics in the 2027 General Election, saying, “If the people of Isiolo still believe I have more to offer, I will never turn my back on the call to serve.”
Earlier in the day, while addressing a separate gathering at Gateway Hotel in Isiolo town, Odha weighed in on the ongoing succession debate in neighboring Isiolo South following the recent passing of Hon. Mohamed Tupi.
Calling for calm and respect for tradition, the former MP urged residents to “follow past precedents and the decision of our elders” in choosing the late Tupi’s successor, in an apparent endorsement of the community’s growing consensus around the late MP’s son, Tubi Mohamed Junior.
He asked the people of Isiolo to continue praying for the soul of Hon. Tupi and for peace during the transition period.
As the Ayyo Village event drew to a close under a glowing sunset, traditional dancers and poets took over, turning the thanksgiving into a full-blown celebration of education, leadership, and community resilience.
For the hundreds of professionals who once faced a future of herding livestock because school fees were unaffordable, Saturday was more than celebration; it was undeniable evidence that principled, people-centered leadership still exists.
In an era where political scorecards are often measured in roads and water projects alone, Hassan Odha’s scholarship program stands as a towering reminder that the most enduring infrastructure a leader can build is inside the minds and hearts of young people.
And as the former MP left Ayyo Village surrounded by the very nurses, teachers, and clinical officers he educated, one thing became crystal clear to everyone present: whenever Hon. Hassan Odha decides to answer the 2027 call, he will not be starting from zero.
He will be returning home to a ready, grateful, and highly capable army of professionals whose lives he changed forever.
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