Lucy Kibaki is a former First Lady of Kenya, being the wife of the country’s third president, Mwai Kibaki. She died on the 26th of April, 2016, in a London hospital of an undisclosed illness.
Aside from being a former president’s wife, Mama Lucy, as she was fondly called, was known for her charitable work. She supported disadvantaged and disabled people and chaired the Organization of the 40 African First Ladies Against HIV/Aids.
She was also infamous for her anger outbursts. Known to be Kenya’s most controversial First Lady, Lucy Kibaki launched verbal attacks on various diplomats, policemen, and journalists in the country during her time. In 2005, she slapped a cameraman when she stormed the offices of a private media group in Nairobi, protesting the way a story about her had been reported.
Here are more details about the late former Kenyan First Lady.
Biography
Mrs. Kibaki was born Lucy Muthoni in 1936. She was the daughter of a Presbyterian Church of East Africa pastor, Rev. John Kagai and Rose Nyachomba who lived in the Mount Kenya region.
Lucy was educated at the first higher secondary school for African girls in Kenya, Alliance Girls High School. She then trained as a teacher, working at various schools and colleges before later rising to the post of principal at Kambui College in Kiambu, where she taught.
Rumors of Lucy Kibaki’s death started more than two years before she passed as she withdrew from public life for unknown reasons. She failed to attend several political events during the end of her husband’s tenure in office. She was also most notably absent at the handing over ceremony to Uhuru Kenyatta.
Family
Lucy met her husband to be, Mwai Kibaki, in 1959. The couple dated for two years before exchanging their vows in 1961.
Lucy and Mwai had four children: Judy Wanjiku, Jimmy Kibaki, David Kagai and Tony Githinji. They also have four grandchildren: Joy Jamie Marie, Mwai Junior, and Krystinaa Muthoni.
Cause of Death
Lucy Kibaki had been in and out of the hospital for several months before her death.
She died on the 26th of April, 2016, at Bupa Cromwell Hospital in London, United Kingdom. The exact cause of death was not revealed but before being flown out to the UK, Mama Lucy was hospitalized for several weeks at the Nairobi Hospital for what was said to be chest pains. She died just a few days later.
Quick Facts You Did Not Know About Lucy Kibaki
Lucy Kibaki was a patron of the Kenya Girl guides association. In her role, she ensured that the association carries out its functions in a smooth way and was respected for it.
Mrs. Kibaki was the most controversial of Kenya’s first ladies. She often clashed with politicians, diplomats, journalists and policemen who she felt did not treat her with sufficient respect and for this, she was feared. It was once reported that she fought Meru MP, Hon. Gitobu Imanyara, and demanded that he should never step into State House as long as she is First Lady. In another report, it was alleged that Lucy nearly broke President Kibaki’s legs over an argument about his alleged second wife.
In 2005, she stormed into the house of her neighbor, the World Bank’s then-country director, Makhtar Diop, at midnight demanding that he turns his music down. Mr. Diop was celebrating the end of his posting in Kenya. She also went to the local police station to demand Mr. Diop and his guests were arrested for disturbing the peace.
The reporting of the incident led to her bursting into the offices of the Nation Media Group with her bodyguards to demand the arrest of the reporter who reported it.
In 2007, Mrs. Kibaki was reportedly filmed slapping an official during an independence day celebration at State House. Security officials seized the footage and erased the slapping incident, before returning them.
Lucy Kibaki does not have any notable friend. No one has ever claimed to be close to Lucy to an extent that they can share friendly information. She is known to be a secretive woman who feels comfortable when she is alone.
She was very jealous of her alleged husband’s second wife, Mary Wambui, whom he allegedly married under customary law. In 2009, Lucy reportedly forced her husband to hold an unscheduled press conference to re-state publicly that he only had one wife.
She did not use any social media platform. The only time the public got to hear her opinion about national or personal issues was during live broadcasts of her speeches.
She once said that unmarried young people had “no business” using condoms. She went on to call on students to abstain from sex in order to avoid infection with HIV.