Former Imenti Central MP Gitobu Imanyara has come clean on a scuffle that ensued at State House in 2007, ending up in an exchange of blows between him and the then First Lady Lucy Kibaki.
Gitobu, during an interview with The Standard, narrated that tension between them had started after he represented Clifford Derrick, a journalist who was slapped by the former first lady causing a storm at Nation Media Group offices.
Then President Mwai Kibaki had invited leaders of small political parties at State House to discuss politics and as such, the former MP attended the forum as part of a delegation from Chama Cha Mwananchi.
At first, he was stopped at the gate and after a couple of calls were made, he was let in.
Even before the lawyer could settle in, he heard Lucy screaming “Why is he here? Who allowed him into my house?”
When he was called out of the room, he found the first lady in a nightdress and raging with anger.
“She started raining blows at me. She grabbed my shirt and called me names. I tried disengaging but she held on. I slapped her hard and she fell hard on the floor,” he recalled.
A tense silent moment followed but was quickly interrupted by screams from the first lady as she struggled to break loose from the security men who were taking her away.
“I thought someone would grab me and lock me up. They let me drive out and I sighed with relief,” Gitobu narrated.
He explained that the reason he smacked Lucy in the face was that he felt attacked and was acting in self-defense.
The first person the advocate called was fellow lawyer Paul Muite and confided in him about what had happened.
“There is no way he would have made that up within the short duration. I believed him,” Muite recounted.
In past media briefing about the incident, Gitobu stated that he had received apologies from President Kibaki, adding that the matter was best left forgotten.
Watch a video of Gitobu Imanyara narrating what transpired below.
