The family attested that Lucy was always the first defender of her husband especially during his political career which began in their early days of marriage/MIKE KARIUKI
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 4 – Mourners across the political divide, religion and race on Wednesday gathered in Nairobi to pay tribute to former First Lady Lucy Kibaki during a requiem mass held at the Consolata Shrine.
Her children, in-laws, grandchildren and sisters recalled moments of a happy, loving and caring woman whose motivation was unity right from the family level to the national level.
Judy Chiku Kibaki, Lucy’s only daughter remembered her as a mother and wife who attended to her duties with commitment.
“You told me the beautiful things we surround ourselves with in this life, are not really that important,” she recalled.
“It is more important that we surround ourselves with family and friends who have beautiful hearts. Motherhood was exciting for you, mum. You showed me how to bake lovely cakes and saw how happy you were in the kitchen cooking for the family and our friends.”
Despite the pain of losing a mother, Judy was full of praise for a woman she believed had left an indelible mark of empowerment to the family unit and to other women.
“I know that God has welcomed you into Heaven. He needed you there for the souls who have gone before you and had no mother to love them,” she said.
Lucy who died at the age of 82 was known for her no nonsense attitude in the public and extended the same strict standards to her children.
“You only dealt with facts. You had no time for nonsense. So let me do likewise. You gave me life and literally moulded me into the man I am today,” Tony Kibaki eulogised his mother.
The family attested that Lucy was always the first defender of her husband especially during his political career which began in their early days of marriage.
“Looking back, an imperceptive newlywed and more so a young career woman would most likely have felt short-changed if caught in such intense dynamics demanding loads of personal time and space of a husband. However, Lucy certainly buoyed by foresight and fortitude looked far beyond prevailing circumstances and chose to serve as a pillar of support and encouragement to a man whose time and intellect were crucial transition in Kenya’s history,” Judy recalled.
President Uhuru Kenyatta described Lucy Kibaki as a straight forward and decisive person who actively took part in development and empowerment of women and children.
“There were no half ways. You were either in her right side or her wrong side,” the President said as he honoured her for the contribution in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Deputy President William Ruto like many other mourners celebrated Lucy Kibaki as a person who did or said what she believed in.
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