The requiem service for the late Joyce Laboso, the former Bomet Governor, took place on Thursday at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi. Several leaders, family and friends attended the service, including Deputy President William Ruto. Cabinet Secretaries including Education CS Prof. George Magoha, Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa, Governors led by Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok, Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru among others. The late Laboso succumbed to cancer on Monday after a long battle with the disease.
Speaking at the service, Deputy President William Ruto termed her as a resourceful and a forthright leader, “She was special…whenever she asked leaders to go to Bomet to support in any way it was difficult not to accept,” he said. He referenced her role as the country’s Deputy Speaker, saying after he and President Uhuru Kenyatta took over the top jobs in 2013, they wanted to make history as they realized they were few women in leadership, and supported Laboso as the Deputy Speaker, a move which paid off.
He said the late Governor didn’t fit in any political class as some may have imagined, “She was too large to be fitted in any camp. She was a great woman leader in Kenya that traversed all shades of our politics.”
On the cancer menace, the DP said President Uhuru Kenyatta factored cancer and diabetes in the Universal Healthcare Program. He said in 2015 because of the prevalence of cancer and diabetes, the NHIF cover for the diseases was expanded to cover those suffering. He said at the moment the 98 referral facilities in Kenya have cancer screening and already 100,000 people have benefitted from treatment under the NHIF oncology program. However, he said more can be done to tackle the scourge, “There is a lot more that we can do in terms of more centres for chemotherapy, radiotherapy,” he said, adding that campaign programs can be created so that Kenyans can understand how to better manage health issues.
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi remembered her tenure as deputy speaker of the national assembly, saying the late Laboso wasn’t just a deputy but she was a regular advisor to him. On his part, Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka said she was a great lady and he received a good report from the Senate Committee concerning the Governor, “When she appeared she got what we call an unqualified opinion…meaning she was managing her resources there in a prudent manner. She also managed to bring down the wage bill and she also reduced the pending bills in Bomet County.”
The late Laboso’s husband Edwin Obonyo said she had no boundaries or any tribal inclinations and she was selfless. He said Joyce was diagnosed with cancer in 1991 when they had two kids, and she survived the first treatment, “It was a scare in our lives, we were still young.” He said she was very committed to her work.
