Former Kenya's first lady Mama Lucy Kibaki's legacy

Each of us comes from the creator trailing wisps of glory. These immortal words by the late African-American poet Maya Angelou aptly summarise the life and big-hearted works of former First Lady Lucy Muthoni Kibaki.

She gave a face and compassion to the instruments of power. Not just because she was the President’s consort. Her strong-willed character made her fit so well into the role of Kenya’s third First Lady.

Mama Lucy was fiercely loyal to her husband, deeply protective of her family and a proud nationalist. She espoused the virtues many envy: she was candid, honest to a fault and driven in what she believed in.

She was not pretentious and spoke about the plight of children orphaned by HIV/Aids and other health issues. Her role was memorialised by the renaming of the 112-bed Embakasi District Hospital to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital. The facility was projected to serve over two million people in Eastlands. Yet it is what she championed in education especially for the girl-child, rights for women that should be celebrated most.

She played a key role in the setting up of Starehe Girls Centre, which caters for bright girls from underprivileged backgrounds.

Even in sunset, Mama Lucy’s legacy lives on.