The death of Kenya’s most revered President Mwai Kibaki, who passed on today aged 90, may have triggered the memory of moments of passion Lugari MP Ayub Savula shared in his encounters with the President’s late wife Lucy Kibaki.
Before he became popular within a very short time and defeated political bigwigs such as Nabii Nabwera to clinch the Lugari Parliamentary seat, Savula used to work as a photojournalist for Standard Media.
The reason for his quick rise to fame and power traces way back in 2005 to a dramatic encounter the MP had with the former first lady during an event at State House.
On that fateful day, State House was launching its annual national presidential awards presided over by President Mwai Kibaki, an event that was attended by former First Lady Lucy Kibaki.
The MC in charge of the ceremony, while recognizing the presence of guests and dignitaries, failed to mention the name of Lucy Kibaki. The first lady, irritated by the MC’s action, rose to the podium and slapped him in the presence of Savula who was covering the scene.
Savula, who had a record of the drama, was summoned to State House and ordered to delete the footage in the presence of Kibaki and his wife. He, allegedly, was then paid millions to prevent him from making charges against Lucy Kibaki.
Savula quit his job as a journalist and went into business and by 2012 he had amassed wealth enough to finance his political campaigns for both the 2013 and 2017 general elections.
Sam Oduor is the founder and one of the editors at WKT. With a strong background in Communication and Journalism, Sam is an experienced digital media expert currently building a team of young professionals dedicated to telling the story of our community in a unique, authentic way.
