This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso, a trailblazer in women's leadership, has passed away at the age of 58 after a long battle with cancer.
Laboso had sought treatment in the United Kingdom and India since May 29, 2019, before returning home on July 14, 2019.
Her body has been moved to the Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi, where politicians, family, friends, and government officials have been visiting to pay their respects.
Laboso was a former university lecturer who made history in 2017 by becoming one of three women elected governors in Kenya, along with Kirinyaga's Anne Waiguru and Kitui's Charity Ngilu.
President Uhuru Kenyatta sent his condolences, describing Laboso as an 'icon of women leadership' in the country.
'I have received the sad news of the passing away of Bomet Governor Dr Joyce Laboso with utter disbelief. Dr Laboso was an icon of women leadership in our country. May God grant the family, residents of Bomet and all Kenyans the fortitude to bear the big loss,' he said.
Before her election as governor, Laboso served as the Sotik MP, having been elected following the death of her younger sister Lorna Laboso in a plane crash on June 10, 2008.
Laboso is survived by her husband Edwin Abonyo and three children. Her husband said she had been unwell for a long time but preferred to keep it private until her final days.
'She had been in pain and was not talking at the time of her demise,' Mr Abonyo said.
