Kibaki has only one wife

I just finished watching the press conference by Kenya's President Kibaki in which he quite emphatically states that he has only one wife. As he makes his grand oratory, his wife stands very nonplussed at his side, glaring at the crowd. It is quite clear that whatever these Kenyan reporters have been saying about her husband's extra-marital affairs, is being taken very seriously in the Kibaki household.

Her chest pumps very visibly as her husband speaks. You can almost see the fumes escaping from the top of her head as she slowly stews in her anger at the audacity of the reporters.Her husband is delving into the family tree now and making it clear that his four children are the only ones sired by his loins. He reiterates that any acknowledgment otherwise, is fallacy. She glares from side to side at the crowd as if daring anyone to speak.

At the feeble end of his statement, the President invites questions. The silence is deafening. Yet even in this comedy of situations, this embarrassment of state, a brave soul speaks up and asks a question. The President's answer seems inadequate as Mrs. Kibaki questions the origins of the reporter's employ. His answer doesn't satiate her as she berates the reporters for making their lives a misery by spreading lies. She invites more questions.

The air is heavy with the anticipation of her next move. Her heaving chest continues to pump and her adrenalin builds. She threatens that not only will she sue, but informs us that she was tempted to visit said newspaper and put a hurting on the reporters. This act, she reminds us, would be much like the one she performed when she beat up the last reporter who said something about her.

Her 'blood lust' satiated, she turns to walk away with the President. As the doors open on their exit, this visibly old and angry woman, casts a very daunting shadow on the presidency of Kenya. It is quite evident that her influence is strong enough to cause such a stir, such a public humiliation of a Presidency. President Kibaki seems quite harmless compared to her. If indeed he does have children out of wedlock as well as another wife, I think that Kibaki has much to fear.

So I applaud Mr. Kibaki for single handedly dropping the stock of African Presidency by at least another twenty five notches. He and Rupiah Banda of Zambia are poised to become the next great act, much like Abbott and Costello.