Why First Lady stormed Nation Centre
First Lady Lucy Kibaki holds a copy of the Standard newspaper as she addresses journalists at the news desk at Nation Centre, Nairobi, on May 2, 2005. She had come to protest against a story that reported she had disrupted a neighbour’s party in Muthaiga. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mrs Kibaki had stormed the Nation to protest a story that had been covered widely in the print and electronic media about how she had interrupted a party by her neighbour, former World Bank Country Director Makhtar Diop, who criticised her action.
- She was to later that night defend her action, saying, in going to the house, she was defending the rights of Muthaiga residents, which she said she had done for 30 years.
I had just retired to bed after a long day on the Nation news desk at Nation Centre, Nairobi, on May 3, 2005.
It was about 11pm. As soon as I switched off the lights, my cell phone started ringing. It was Mr Richard Chesos, a young journalist, who was the late-night reporter. I cursed, but picked up the phone. He sounded panicky but guarded.
“Madam, Her Excellency is here and she would like to speak to you,’’ Mr Chesos said. I was confused and prodded him further, he said: “I am saying that First Lady Lucy Kibaki is here at the news desk and would like to talk to you face to face.’’ He said with an urgency.
I also overheard the First Lady give something like an order to him. I dashed out of the bed, put on a headscarf, a warm pair of trousers and drove very fast to the Nation Centre and straight to the news desk on the Third Floor.
Indeed, the First Lady was standing by the desk, surrounded by her security detail. She looked very angry. Then Nairobi police boss King’ori Mwangi and the head of operations at Police Headquarters stood by her side. This would be a long night, I told myself. “Is she the one?’’ a furious Mrs Kibaki inquired from Mr Chesos as she turned to me.
“You are the one who wrote that story?" I was lost for words. “Arrest her!’’ she ordered her bodyguards.
One signalled me to take cover. I disappeared to the features desk of the newsroom but she was to catch up with me later anyway, demanding to know whether it was from that section that we “featured lies”.
Mrs Kibaki had stormed the Nation to protest a story that had been covered widely in the print and electronic media about how she had interrupted a party by her neighbour, former World Bank Country Director Makhtar Diop, who criticised her action.
She was to later that night defend her action, saying, in going to the house, she was defending the rights of Muthaiga residents, something she said she had done for 30 years. She denied her children Judy and David were at the "noisy’’ party, saying “they were too dignified to go to nightclubs”.
Her mission to Nation Centre was to get the journalist who had reported that she had recorded a statement with the police over the incident.
“I have never recorded a police statement since I was born. That is why I am here to correct such distorted reporting and I will not leave until I get the person who reported that I was at Muthaiga Police Station,’’ she asserted. “I am here to demand the truth.’’
Earlier, Managing Editor Bernard Nderitu had arrived shortly after her, and also had a taste of the First Lady’s anger.
She asked to be taken on a tour of the newsroom after which she returned to the news desk and took a seat.
By then, journalists from other media houses had arrived. She made it clear that it would be a long night and we would spend it in the newsroom.
She also did not allow any photos of her to be taken or anyone writing notes. At one point, she gave us a long, hard look and wondered what kind of a profession we were in, that involved poking noses into other people’s affairs and “messing up families".
She had entered Nation Centre at 11.20pm. At around 3.30am, she said she was ready for a press conference. For almost one and a half hours, Mrs Kibaki spoke at length, with bitterness, about how much the media had been unfair to her family, had misrepresented her role and did not respect the presidency.
For instance, she was unhappy the media referred to the President as “Mr Kibaki” instead of his rightful title of “His Excellency, the President’’. She also spoke at length about what her role as First Lady entailed and told us off for always “comparing" her with other first ladies.
“You have been writing that I should become like this or that First Lady? Why should I? I am Lucy and I can never become anyone else,’’ she told us.
But listening to and “interacting’’ with her that night, my conclusion was that Mrs Kibaki could go to any length to defend and protect the dignity of her family.
She was courageous, and would speak her mind, anywhere and any time. She told us as much.
