Mutuiri Gitonga
2012-11-27
FAMOUS MIPANGO YA KANDO
Kibaki’s presidential brief to the country that he
has only one family is arguably one of the most memorable. This was in response
to rumor that he had a second family. A woman described as a business woman,
moving around with bodyguards and living the life of the upper socialites while
appearing at political functions portraying the picture of one representing the
man in the highest office in the land had tongues wagging.
Not to help matters was the business woman’s
daughter, media-tagged the president’s daughter, being negatively connected
with infamous Artur Margarayan brother’s, the kings of impunity far as drugs,
gun running, raiding Standard’s offices and sauntering above the law was
concerned. Unlike leaders in the southern part of Africa to whom taking many
wives is not an issue, our president chose to quiet things his-own-selfish-way.
He is not the first, nor the last ‘big man’, to have
‘the other woman’ mentioned alongside his name.
Until a month or so ago, David Petraeus was a highly decorated military
officer, having risen to the highest echelons in the US military and going on
to head the renown CIA. At sixty, married and a father of two, it took the
‘other’ woman’s jealous to bring his untainted career tumbling. Paula Broadus,
in a bid to protect her turf as official mistress, sent a series of anonymous
emails to her perceived rival Jill Scott and in the ensuing investigation,
other top military brass are in the red.
History is laden with tales of mistresses. In the
decade past, the Monicah Lewinsky saga threatened to bring down the career of
Bill Clinton, often billed as the first black president for his favorable terms
on this race that has been looked down upon in the history of mankind. After
months of denial, the president owned up to his transgressions. His wife, who Secretary
of state Hillary Clinton stood by him and he survived impeachment.
It is perhaps to quote from the book of Luke 12:48 ‘From everyone who has been
given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with
much, much more will be asked’ that can explain why there is so much scrutiny
in the highest offices of in land. Moral integrity goes hand in hand with
leading a nation, but that has never stopped these leading men from taking on a
consort.
While some mistresses took their place in the shadows of the first family,
others led to events that would change the course of history. The Church of England,
which until today is headed by the English Monarchy, traces its beginnings to
King Henry VII revolting against papal power in order to marry his mistress,
Anne Boleyn. Years earlier, he had a relationship with Mary’s sister, Mary. He
later had her beheaded so he could remarry.
While mornach’s had their share of consorting with sisters, one Marylin Monroe,
the all time American beauty Icon of the sixties is said to have swung between
the president John F. Kennedy and, the Attorney general and later the future AG
and John’s brother Robert F. Kennedy. Her two timing is said to have led to her
death from a supposedly induced overdose. The two brothers also went on to be
felled by the assasin’s bullet seven years apart
As far as presidents go, America’s longest serving
president, Frankline Delano Roosevelt had his share of pie, and he ate it. Roosevelts wife, Eleanor had hired Lucy Mercer as
personal secretary to FDR. The ensuing relationship almost caused a divorce
among the first couple, but state obligations prevailed on the two to stay tied
by the wedding band.
Back to the monarchy loin intrigues. Great
Britains and Northern ireland long reigning
monarch queen Elizabeth II owes her royal seat to her uncle giving the seat to
her father so he could marry his twice divorced sweet heart, the American
socialite Wallis Simpson. They later divorced.
Decades later, the world was to be heartbroken when the world beloved princess
Diana Spencer went public with the news that she was seeking divorce from the
next in line to the throne. She lay her claim that there were three people in
the marriage. Camila Parker Bowles, longtime lover of Prince Charles was the
third leg in the tripod. Much later after the sensational death of Princess
Diana, Prince Charles married the now divorced Carmilla. They are still
together.
Perhaps, so as not to jeopardize marriages, these
public figures should borrow a leaf from our very own Walter Mong’are a.k.a
Nyambane who officiated his marriage to his second wife, TPF’s Linda Muthama.
Or take after anti Jigger crusader the beauty queen Cecilia Mwangi who came out
in public as being the second wife of a youthful coast politician, Mungatana.
Perchance the Europeans have sold the culture of monogamy
to the world, but the worlds residents have not wholly taken to the practice. Perchance,
it is to those whom much is given that much is expected in return; in the form
of sharing.
