Kenya's first First Lady Mama Ngina has on many occasions impressed Kenyans with her dress code at national functions.
She wasn't always fashion-forward, as narrated by the first post-independence Head of Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet Duncan Ndegwa, in his book Walking in Kenyatta's Struggles: My Story.
He noted that at Kenya's independence, most wives of prominent leaders were not fashionable, prompting their husbands to look for other ladies to accompany them to Mzee Kenyatta's social functions at State House.
Mzee resolved to appoint a lady who transformed Mama Ngina's fashion choices because he sent her to represent him abroad since he hated flying.
The noble responsibility fell upon Nyiva Mwendwa, the wife of Kenya's first African Chief Justice Kitili Mwendwa.
Mama Ngina loved trouser suits which Mzee Kenyatta hated. Duncan narrated that on the day of Kenyatta's Inauguration ceremony, Mzee's wife emerged from the house dressed in long pants and a sleeveless tunic.
"Mzee had never seen his wife dressed in trousers or otherwise so loudly deviating from her norms of dress. It was a tense journey to the ceremony," the former State House insider wrote.
Mama Ngina's stylist was in 1995 appointed as the first female Minister in Kenya.
She made headlines that same year after travelling to a women’s conference in Beijing, including a hairdresser as a part of her delegation.
Mwendwa defended the decision by stating that being a delegation leader, she needed to take care of her appearance.
