10 things to remember about former First Lady Lucy Kibaki
Former first lady Mama Lucy Kibaki died on Tuesday while receiving treatment at the Bupa Cromwell Hospital in London.
The 76-year-old had been away from the limelight since 2010 and missed the handover of power from President Mwai Kibaki to the newly elected Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013.
Here are some famous incidents to remember about the straight shooting Mrs Kibaki.
1. Just months after her husband became president, she reportedly shut down a bar inside State House where ministers and close allies of the President used to enjoy a drink with the head of state.
2. She made her husband President Mwai Kibaki to call a press conference where he declared his monogamous status. This was after reports emerged about a possible second wife previously unknown to the public.
3. In May 2005, she stormed into the house of her then neighbour, the World Bank’s country director Makhtar Diop, in a tracksuit at midnight and demanded that he turns down his music at a private party he was hosting to mark the end of his posting in Kenya.
4. After the incident was captured in the dailies, the first lady stormed into the Nation Media Group offices on a Monday morning and demanded that the reporter who had written about her confrontation with Mr Diop be arrested.
5. She was the first public figure to assault a journalist, exemplified when she openly slapped cameraman Clifford Derrick who was filming her.
6. She once slapped the master of ceremony during a Jamhuri Day state dinner at State House in 2007. The master of ceremony had committed the unforgivable mistake of introducing her as Lucy Wambui instead of Lucy Muthoni Kibaki.
7. During the 2009 Jamhuri Day celebration at Nyayo Stadium, the First Lady slipped and fell on the staircase but was assisted by her security detail.
8. She was claimed to have slapped State House comptroller Matere Keriri. It later emerged that Mrs Kibaki had become uncomfortable with his closeness of Mr Keriri to the President.
9. She was a victim of numerous wardrobe malfunctions during her tenure. Of interest was the sky blue dinner dress she wore during a White House dinner hosted by President George W. Bush. The dress was criticised due to its cheap fabric and design that did not flatter her body.
10. Mrs Kibaki was also reported to have slapped Gitobu Imanyara at State House, Nairobi, during a briefing on parliamentary issues. She had been apparently irked by the legislator’s insistence on filing charges against another MP who had verbally attacked the President.
