PEOPLE IN THE NEWS: First Lady who fought like tigress

Kenya’s State House was a no-go zone when she was angry. She also made it clear that she never wanted intrusion into her family’s privacy and did not shy away from going physical if this was not observed. This is how many Kenyans would remember the former First Lady, Mama Lucy Kibaki, who passed on early this week at Bupa Cromwell Hospital in London.  She was a fierce and unapologetic defender of her husband and family values. During former president Mwai Kibaki’s tenure, Kenyan State.

The State House became the most watched places in the country given the dramatic events that kept on unfolding courtesy of Mama Lucy as she was commonly referred. Her death brings to an end a dramatic chapter of the story of Kenya’s State House as one politician and human rights lawyer Gitobu Imanyara sums it up in his condolence message posted on social media. On his facebook page the former Central Imenti legislator who is said to have been slapped by the Former First Lady states; “During Mwai Kibaki’s tenancy therein, State House was one of the most watched government institutions with Mama Lucy claiming to have the final say on who should be invited to what she considered her matrimonial home.” 

Though many Kenyans only got used to the term First lady when Kibaki took power in 2003. Mama Lucy became the face of State House  with her no nonsense demeanor. Former president Moi had separated with his wife Lena so the term First Lady  was never common during his tenure. Though known to many as a controversial First lady during her husband’s reign  from 2002 to 2013, Mama Lucy was a patron of the Kenya Girl Guides Association and a great champion of HIV/Aids and children rights. She chaired the Organisation of the 40 African First Ladies Against HIV/Aids. Her domineering influence notwithstanding, many who interacted closely with her described her as a very loving, friendly and compassionate woman who believed in strong family values and hated to see children suffering.

 Born Lucy Muthoni in a Christian family of Reverent John Kagai and Rose Nyachomba in  Mukurwe-ini, Mount Kenya region in 1940, she attended the prestigious Alliance Girls High School then trained as a teacher. She later became a principal in a teacher-training college in Kiambu, central Kenya. She married Mwai Kibaki in 1962 and were blessed with four children. She later quit her professional life to raise her children.

Unlike her spouse who was usually reserved and would only speak about political differences in few occasions, Mama Lucy never hesitated to tell off her husband political opponents asking them to let the president concentrate on his work.

On one occasion, she seemed to have missed her ordinary life and decided to go shopping for hairpieces in Nairobi city. While addressing a crowd that had milled to catch a glimpse of her she stated, “Mama akiwa hapa hakuna wasiwasi,” before police restrained her from getting too close to the public.

With all the theatrics aside, Mama Lucy struck many as a woman who could go to great lengths to defend her family and motherly image plus she knew how to keep her husband in line. In 2009, a fierce looking Lucy accompanied her husband to a rare press conference at State House where he read a statement  announcing to the public that he only had one wife, Lucy.

“I want to make it very clear that I have only one dear wife, Mrs Lucy Muthoni Kibaki. I do not have any other and anybody who knows me and knows my family and knows how I live knows I only have one wife,” nervous looking Kibaki had declared.

This was after a section of the press claimed that the current Othaya MP Mary Wambui is Kibaki’s second wife. Ms Wambui was a constant thorn in Mama Lucy’s flesh especially the moment Kibaki ascended to power. Ms Wambui, who was not afraid to flaunt her newly acquired status was assigned bodyguards, chase cars and other trappings of a presidential spouse like flag post in her compound.

She was also constantly acting like a de facto Othaya (Kibaki’s backyard) legislator representing Kibaki in official functions and dishing out huge sums of money.

Controversy was never far away from Mama Lucy, in 2003, she stormed Nation Media House at night to complain about a story that she claimed was biased against her family. “You have been writing that I should behave like this or that First Lady,” she complained. “Why should I? I am Lucy Kibaki and I will never change.” A cameraman, Clifford Derrick Otieno who tried to film the event also received what many Kenyans now cheekily refer to as hot gubernatorial slap.  Then serving Nairobi Provincial Police Officer, Kingori Mwangi had to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to be with Mama Lucy for hours as she protested  about the media coverage of her husband. She had arrived at around 11.30 hours  and stayed until 3.30am the following day. And it was not only the journalists who received her wrath but state officials, politicians and the diplomats as well.  In  2004, former Vice-President Moody Awori slip of tongue landed him in Mama Lucy’s bad books when he referred to her as “Second Lady” at a new year’s event. She walked out as the guests watched in shock even though Mr Awori profusely apologised.  In January 2004, the former State House comptroller,  Mr Materi Keriri, was kicked out and lost his powerful position courtesy of Mama Lucy who was  reportedly never comfortable with his presence. Earlier on she had refused to shake his hand at the airport when the First Family returned from a holiday in Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa.

There is one Makhtar Diop, the former World Bank country director who will remember his terrifying exit from the country when Mama Lucy stormed his farewell event in April 2005 demanding that the music be switched off as it was disrupting her sleep. Then came 2007 Independence Day luncheon at State House, the master of ceremony got Mama Lucy’s deafening slap for mistakenly introducing her as Lucy Wambui. After the hot slap, the man was whisked away by the presidential security details and a new MC was found since Mama Lucy could no longer stand that one. State House officials immediately confiscated all cameras and the footage was erased.

In 2009, she had told off the then Internal Security minister, the late Prof  George Saitoti over oil tanker fire that resulted in several deaths and demanded a written explanation after visiting victims of the accident.

“The administrators should have mobilised the residents out the scene of death,” angry Mama Lucy had charged. “It is not the first or the second time this is happening. Even before the explosion the district officers and chiefs had enough time to warn the people that is was dangerous to siphon the oil,” she had stated while rebuking the minister for flying to the scene of the accident to mock mourning people.   “Why should you fly all the way to Molo just to tell the mourning people that they should learn a lesson?”

 She later withdrew from public life during the latter part of her husband’s tenure only to reemerge during the promulgation of the new Constitution on August 27, 2010 and danced with great energy to local gospel songs. She was not seen in public again due to poor health though the nation was not given details about the nature of her illness.

Like her or hate her but Mama Lucy would remain the most outspoken First Lady Kenya has ever had so far, one courageous one who would speak her mind and  would go to great lengths to defend her family and strong moral values.  Some analysts believe that her professional background as a teacher could have  shaped her into a domineering figure and this is what made her pass to many as unapologetic bully.