Uhuru eulogises wife of Kibaki’s long-serving ex-aide
By Winnie MabelFormer president Uhuru Kenyatta and his wife, Margaret, were among a host of VIP guests at the funeral service of the late Popsy Bastiana D’Souza Gitonga on Friday at St Austin’s Church, James Gichuru Road.
The deceased was the wife of Alfred Gitonga, who served as the late former president Mwai Kibaki’s private secretary from 2002 to 2013.
In his eulogy, Mr Kenyatta described the deceased, who passed away on May 14, 2023 at the age of 64, as a friend to many.
“Popsy has touched the lives of many in different ways. What has been said about her, her characteristics, her loyalty, her stubbornness, her level of creating order within chaos – these are things I can vouch for. I’ve known Popsy for as long as Alfie has known her. He first introduced us to her when we were flat mates at Amherst. She became part of our lives from then to now,” Mr Kenyatta said.
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“When you share an apartment that has rooms and shared spaces, that was the case for us and we had visitors visiting. But when Popsy came to visit, she was in control of all the space in the apartment, not just Alfie’s. When we came back and Alfie told us he intended to marry Popsy, I must say some of us were very worried for him after the experiences we had experienced. And we were wondering, ‘Alfie are you sure you’re going to able to manage the situation?” the former head of state recounted.
He went on to praise her for turning out to be a loyal wife, a faithful friend and a person who never shied from speaking her mind in private and public – especially when he was president and she had strong opinions.
“It’s a life cut short but very many memories will live for a long time. We thank her for her friendship. And you Alfred, we thank you for your friendship through thick and thin and we are here to assure you of our continued friendship as life moves on and we continue facing challenges as we all wait for our day to join our sister. May God bless you and may God give our sister eternal peace and rest,” Mr Kenyatta added.
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The late Gitonga who was a renowned tourism ambassador and philanthropist in both Kenya and Seychelles where she traced her roots to.
The deceased was unofficially named a Seychelles Tourism Ambassador within the tourism industry for her success in running a tours and travels company in Nairobi. She was also influential in Kenya’s political circles.
She leaves behind her husband, Alfred, and their children James Glenn Gitonga, Gina and Tiedah Evans. She was grandmother to Malaika Evans.
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