Reason Kalonzo's Wife Rejected His First Marriage Proposal

Having known Pauline Musyoka as a law student at the University of Nairobi, Kalonzo Musyoka, then 24, wanted to get married to her as soon as he could.

His view, however, was not shared by Pauline, who told him that she had other plans and was not ready to settle down yet, as she had to focus on her career.

"Pauline, my girlfriend who later became my wife, would occasionally visit me at the university. I wanted to get married in a hurry but Pauline would hear none of it. At that time, she was working at the National Social Securit Fund (NSSF)," Kalonzo wrote in his biography Against All Odds.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka shares a light moment with Pauline Musyoka at a past event.

When he proceeded to his pupillage (attachment) at a law firm which he identified as Kaplan and Stratton in 1978, he was convinced that she should propose to her, but she beat him to it.

"While I was at Kaplan and Stratton, out of the blue, my girlfriend told me that she wanted to go to study in the United States of America. I thought to myself  'this lady cannot be serious' " Kalonzo wrote.

He further narrated that after the initial shock wore off, he started scheming on a foolproof plan to retaliate and surprise her in his own way.

"One day, while reading a copy of the Daily Nation, I saw an advertisement by the Rotary Club of Nairobi for a fellowship to a college in Cyprus. I responded and was called to an interview a few days later," the Wiper leader narrated.

"The surprise to Pauline and I came when my name was published in the newspapers as the one who had won the scholarship," Kalonzo added.

Pauline did not make it to the United States and instead went to India to pursue her Bachelor of Commerce degree while Kalonzo headed to the Mediterranean Institute of Management in Nicosia, Cyprus, where he pursued a postgraduate course in Business Management.

Newspaper clippings from 1978 announcing Kalonzo as the winner of the Rotary Club of Nairobi scholarship.

The two returned to the country after their studies and were married seven years later in 1985.