Lucy Kibaki is a former First Lady of Kenya and the wife of the country’s third President, Mwai Kibaki. She died of an undisclosed illness in a London hospital on April 26, 2016.
Aside from being the wife of a former president, MamaLucy, as she was affectionately known, was known for her charitable work. She supported disadvantaged and disabled people and led the organization of the 40 African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS.
She was also notorious for her outbursts of anger. Lucy Kibaki, known as Kenya’s most controversial first lady, has verbally abused various diplomats, police officers and journalists in the country during her tenure. In 2005, she hit a cameraman while storming the offices of a private media group in Nairobi to protest the way a story about her had been reported.
Find out more about the late former Kenyan first lady here.
biography
Mrs. Kibaki was born Lucy Muthoni in 1936. She was the daughter of a pastor of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, Rev. John Kagai and Rose Nyachomba, who lived in the Mount Kenya region.
Lucy was educated in the first higher secondary school for African girls in Kenya, Alliance Girls High School. She then completed teacher training at various schools and colleges before later taking up the position of Principal at Kambui College in Kiambu, where she taught.
Rumors of Lucy Kibaki’s death began more than two years before her death, as she retired from public life for unknown reasons. During her husband’s tenure, she failed to attend several political events. She was also absent from the handover to Uhuru Kenyatta.
family
Lucy met her husband Mwai Kibaki in 1959. The couple dated for two years before taking 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 a few months before her death.
She died on April 26, 2016 at BupaCromwell Hospital in London, UK. The exact cause of death was not disclosed, but before being flown to the UK, mum Lucy was hospitalized at Nairobi Hospital for several weeks with alleged chest pains. She died just a few days later.
Quick facts you didn’t know about Lucy Kibaki
Lucy Kibaki was a patron of the Kenya Girl Guides Association. In her role, she has ensured that the club performs its duties smoothly and is respected for it.
Woman. Kibaki was the most controversial of Kenya’s First Ladies. She often clashed with politicians, diplomats, journalists and police officers 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, demanding that he should never enter the State House while she is First Lady. Another report claimed that Lucy almost broke President Kibaki’s legs over an argument over his alleged second wife.
In 2005, she stormed into her neighbor’s house, the then director of the World Bank, Makhtar Diop, demanded at midnight to turn down his music. Mr Diop celebrated the end of his assignment to Kenya. She also went to the local police station to demand that Mr Diop and his guests be arrested for disturbing the peace.
Reporting the incident led to her storming into the offices of Nation Media Group with her bodyguards to demand the arrest of the reporter who had reported the incident.
In 2007, Ms. Kibaki was reportedly filmed punching an officer during an Independence Day celebration at the State House. Security officials confiscated the footage and deleted the slaps before returning it.
Lucy Kibaki has no significant girlfriend. No one has ever claimed to be close enough to Lucy to exchange friendly information. She is known to be a secretive woman who is comfortable when she is alone.
She was very jealous of her husband’s second wife, Mary Wambui, whom he is said to have married by common law. In 2009, Lucy allegedly forced her husband to hold an unscheduled press conference to once again publicly state that he had only one wife.
She did not use any social media platform. The only time the public heard her opinion on national or personal issues was when her speeches were broadcast live.
She once said that unmarried young people “have nothing to do” with using condoms. She urged students to abstain from sex to avoid contracting HIV.