In November 2018, the Late Bomet Governor, Joyce Laboso, walked into her office in what she thought would be a normal working day.
Her workers, however, were cognizant that the governor was turning 58 on that very day, so they made secret arrangements.
They were ready to catch her by surprise, from the moment she stepped out of her official car and into the office, as one of them was filming it all.
When the vehicle pulled up outside, she seemed hesitant to alight, perhaps as a result of her intuition. The video shows her talking to her driver for a moment and pointing towards the office.
Laboso finally alighted but as she got close to the door, she asked, "Kuna nini leo (What is going on today)?" As soon as she stepped into the room, the members of staff who had gathered broke into song and dance.
After the singing and eating was over, she was gifted a book by John Mason titled You're Born an Original, Don't Die a Copy!.
According to Laboso's husband, Edwin Abonyo, she was so secretive about her illness that many of the workers didn't know she was battling cancer, so the book was coincidentally symbolic of the life she lived.
True to the name of the book, the late governor was clearly a trailblazer.
Laboso was among the first cohort of Kipsigis girls to go to school. Training as a teacher, she was a pioneer teacher of French.
She was also among the Kipsigis girls pioneers to study abroad, having done her Masters Degree at the University of Reading and her PhD at University of Hull; both in the United Kingdom.
She made history as the first woman in Bomet region to retain her seat as Sotik MP.
She went on to become the first female deputy speaker and further made cemented her place as one of the first three women to be elected as governors in Kenya.
