This is how our mum lived to 115 years, children of Kibaki's sister reveal

The children of the late President Mwai Kibaki’s sister Esther Waitherero, who died on Thursday aged 115, have attributed her long life to eating traditional food.

Mr John Macharia, 78, Waitherero’s eldest son who worked as a farm manager for President Kibaki, described her as a hardworking woman who single-handedly raised her family of eight children after her husband was killed in the Mau Mau war in 1952.

“I was born in 1944 and my father died when I was just eight years old. My mother was a strong woman and she immediately took over the role of my father,” he said. 

“ She was a very hardworking and caring woman. She used to sell tobacco to put food on the table for us. Despite the challenges she faced, she managed to see us through school. We are what we are because of her.”

The secret to Waitherero’s long life, Mr Macharia noted, was that she always ate traditional food and throughout her life she never partook of “modern food”.

“My mother always liked to feed on traditional food and vegetables. She particularly liked to eat cassava and arrow roots, among others,” Mr Macharia told the Nation at Waitherero’s home in Gatuyaini village in Othaya, Nyeri County, on Thursday evening. 

Serious disease

“She has never complained of any serious disease despite her advanced age. We believe this is why she has lived that long.” 

Another of Waitherero’s remaining sons, Mr Boniface Githinji, 69, described his mother as a woman who did not entertain bad behaviour and was always ready to punish her errant children.

“She was a very strict disciplinarian. She despised bad behaviour among her children. She effectively took the role of my father. She ensured discipline any father could give,” he said. 

“I think it is because of this that she managed to hold the family together. Even in her old age she had a very sharp memory. She extended this to her grandchildren, whom she would often reprimand whenever they misbehaved.”

One of Waitherero’s nephews, Mr Richard Kibaki, who was with her in her last days, said his aunt used to complain about “living more than enough”, at times saying she was “fatigued” by life.

“I was very close to her during her sunset years. Most of the time she would complain that all her age mates had died and asked why her house in heaven had not been completed,” he said. 

“She said she wanted to meet her maker and that she had stayed in this world for far too long.” 

Waitherero’s lowest moment, according to the family, was when she was informed about the death of his brother, President Kibaki.

“From that time, her health started deteriorating. It seems his brother’s death affected her. She was being treated at home after doctors recommended that she be taken care of at home instead of being admitted to hospital,” Mr Githinji said.  

Despite being a sister of President Kibaki, Waitherero lived a humble life with her children, contrary to what many would expect, and until her death she lived in a timber house.

At Waitherero’s home in Gatuyaini On Thursday evening, the mood was somber, with little activity as the family and neighbours tried to come to terms with the death of the centenarian earlier in the day.

When the Nation team arrived, some villagers could be seen moving in and out of the compound as burial preparations started.

She died three months after her youngest brother, the late President Kibaki, died aged 91.

Waitherero was just three years shy of catching up with the oldest living female person, according to the Guinness World Records, Ms Lucile Randon, who is said to have been born in France on February 11, 1904, now aged 118 years.

Other humans who have lived beyond the 100-year mark include Kane Tanaka from Fukuoka, Japan, who was officially confirmed as the oldest person living at 116 years on March 9, 2019 by the Guinness World Records.

Japanese national Masazo Nonaka also won the title of the oldest person living (male) at the age of 112.

Strong woman

President Uhuru Kenyatta joined other Kenyans in condoling with the Kibaki family following the death of Waitherero.

In his message, President Kenyatta described her as a strong woman of faith, role model and heroine of Kenya’s independence struggle.

“It is sad that we’ve lost one of our country's few remaining frontline independence agitators. Mama Waitherero paid a dear price for Kenya’s freedom when she lost her husband in the Mau Mau uprising against colonial rule,” he said.

“As a grateful Kenyan nation, we owe a debt of gratitude to Mama Waitherero and her generation of strong women who fought alongside their male peers in our country’s liberation struggle.

“For her distinguished role in the making of the Kenyan nation, Mama Waitherero will forever be immortalised in our nation’s history as an icon and heroine upon whose broad shoulders generations of great Kenyan women shall sprout.”

Mr Kenyatta eulogised Waitherero as a strong pillar in the life of the late retired President Kibaki.

“Throughout her life, Mama Waitherero stood out as an anchor of the Kibaki family. As the elder sister to former President Mwai Kibaki, she played a leading role in shaping his public life,” he said.