Bar where Kibaki enjoyed his occasional glass of beer
Silent Lodge in Othaya town, Nyeri. Former president Mwai Kibaki enjoyed his occasional glass of beer here before quitting the bottle.
“Do not yield to the field of drinking. I say this not because I don’t drink; no I do,” former president Mwai Kibaki once memorably said.
Mzee Kibaki enjoyed his occasional glass of beer, before quitting the bottle after a near-fatal accident in 2002. He was especially fond of the White Cap brand.
Whenever he was in his Othaya hometown during his days as the area Member of Parliament, the former president was a regular at Silent Lodge.
He had a favourite spot in the lodge, known as Thingira, where he would sit with his peers. Occasionally he would join other revellers at their tables.
“Kibaki was a very humble man and enjoyed interacting with people. He did not like to sit alone so he would move from table to table to chat with other people,” Mr Shem Macharia, a bartender at the joint told the Nation.
Silent Lodge's bartender Shem Macharia outside Thingira, which was former president Mwai Kibaki's favourite spot when when he visited the bar.
Favourite bartender
He was President Kibaki’s favourite bartender and has fond memories of the former head of state.
One thing about Mzee Kibaki that has always stood out is his cool, easy-going character.
“Mzee was always calm and easy even when he was out with friends. He did not like the rowdiness that some people have while drinking. He just wanted to have a conversation and relax with his friends,” Mr Macharia says.
Mr Shem Macharia who used to serve former President Mwai Kibaki at Silent Lodge in Othaya, Nyeri County. The former head of state was a frequent visitor at the joint where he would chat with locals.
The former head of state, apparently, kept off politics in his conversations.
“He did not like gossip at all. He would tell off people who appeared to be gossiping because he preferred to talk about productive topics on development and economy,” he says.
Generous
The former President will also be remembered for his generosity. He often shared his meals with friends and other revellers.
But he was also known to advocate for responsible drinking and merry-making. On multiple occasions, the former head of state was known for insisting that friends and fellow revellers foot their bills after an evening out, Mr Macharia recalls.
His visits to the joint, however, ended when he became president and all that is left is memories of the good times, hearty laughs, and his wise counsel.
Whenever he was at his retirement home in Mweiga, 79-year-old Joseph Maina was his butcher.
Tucked at the corner of Mweiga town, the septuagenarian still runs his business dubbed the JJ Butchery, which has been in existence for more than a decade.
“I have sold meat to the Kibaki family for the last 20 years. Whenever he is not around I feed his staff who man the premises,” he says.
Maina met the former president twice — before he ascended to power and after his retirement.
He recounts meeting the former president first in 1978 while in the company of the Late Kieni MP Munene Kairu and businessman Herman Kairu.
“I was introduced to him by Herman who hailed from Mweiga just like me and had been my close friend since childhood, he would tag me along to their hang-outs,” he says.
Mr Joseph Maina, a butcher based Mweiga, Nyeri County. Whenever former President Kibaki was at his retirement home in Mweiga, Mr Maina was his butcher.
Ambitious young man
From their interactions, Maina reminisces Mzee Kibaki as an ambitious young man with a laid-back personality.
“During one of our meet-ups, he is the one who pushed the late MP Munene Kairu to venture into politics,” he recalled.
The four would have meat from his butchery before proceeding to a nearby restaurant dubbed Mugumoini, in Mweiga town, where they would have their drinks.
His friend remembers that Kibaki would always take the small-sized White Cap bottle.
Their friendship would however end after the former head of state ascended to power.
“We all went our different ways,” he says.
He would, however, continue to supply meat to Mzee Kibaki’s household and would be contracted even when other leaders visited his home.
“I never interacted with him personally again although his staff, especially his bodyguards, still visit my butchery frequently,” he adds.
His second encounter with the former head of state was after his retirement as president in 2013.
Longed for personal talk
“Being one of the community leaders in the township, I was tasked with welcoming the president at the Mweiga airstrip before escorting him to his retirement home,” says Maina.
Until Mzee Kibaki’s death, Maina longed to have a personal conversation with his old friend but his wish didn’t materialise.
“I would have wanted to have a chat with him in my butchery just like the old times since our two friends are long gone,” he says.
Maina says that upon retiring, the former head of state would hardly spend time at his Mweiga retirement home.
He had another residence in Othaya town, his place of birth.
