Daughter of the Late Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, Wanjira Mathai, revealed interesting details that have previously remained unknown to the public in an interview with Business Daily.
Wanjira revealed that many never knew about the Nobel prize winners witty sense of humour.
She outlined that in connection to this, perhaps, the question she had never been asked about her mother was: "What was her funniest joke?"
"My mother was hilarious and not many people knew that she had such an amazing sense of humour. Most of the times that I worked with her, we laughed a lot.
[caption caption="Wanjira Mathai during a past public function"]
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"She loved a good laugh and a good time and her personality was just not what people saw. Her public persona didn’t invite any fun things.
"She was always so serious. It was always sort of a battle as if her life was always like that. I wouldn’t say she was misrepresented but maybe just half the story because there was more than just what you saw," she stated.
Wanjira also recounted details of growing up after her parents divorced celebrating both her parents for her upbringing.
"I’m told their divorce was very public, I don’t know. I don’t remember, I was too young. And I never had the interest to even go back to read, but it was clearly not a happy departing. But my parents have never tried to keep us away from the other one.
"So I grew up literally between both houses and you almost feel, and I tell this honestly, I don’t remember feeling deficient.
"In fact, I remember my mother saying, 'No no no, you have to go, you have to go and see your dad.' Because first of all, she always said, 'He’s the only dad you’ll ever have.' The same thing on my dad’s side," she narrated.
Ms Mathai took over leadership at her mother's Green Belt Movement Foundation.
[caption caption="File image of Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai who succumbed to ovarian cancer"]
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