Mama Lucy Kibaki in hospital for regular check-up, says family spokesperson

NAIROBI: Former First Lady Lucy Kibaki was in Hospital yesterday for regular check up, family spokesperson Ngari Gituku has said. This follows speculations of her admission in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at a Nairobi hospital.

Mr Gituku said Mama Lucy requires regular check up because of her advanced age.

She has also not been seen in public for long, raising speculation about her health.

“No alarm at all. It’s a routine check up; the kind that your mother and my mother would need to undergo from time to time,” Gituku said.

“Remember our mothers’ health given their age cannot be the same as that of high school girls,”  he added.

The 75-year-old former First Lady has hardly been seen in public since her husband left office. During public functions, when President Kibaki was still in power, she would dance energetically to songs like 'Taunet nelel' by Emmy Kosgei.

During the 2010 promulgation of the new Constitution, Lucy attended the historic also graced by local and foreign dignitaries, which provided the Kibaki family a rare opportunity of leading the nation in ushering in a new set of laws.

She has since kept a low profile and was not even present when former President Kibaki handed over power to President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013.

Mama Lucy is known for being outspoken on family and national issues. Her close family, relatives and friends have maintained prolonged silence leaving the public guessing.