This archive report was first published on 30 July 2019.
Dr Joyce Cherono Laboso, the trailblazing first woman governor of Bomet County, left an indelible mark on Kenyan politics before her untimely death. Born to a family of politicians, Laboso's journey to the top was marked by numerous firsts.
Laboso's entry into politics began in 2008 when she took over her sister Lorna's seat in Parliament after Lorna's tragic death in a plane crash on June 10, 2008, in Narok. Lorna was the first woman to be elected MP in Bomet in 2007.
Laboso's own firsts began to pile up as she became the first woman to be picked as the Deputy National Assembly Speaker in 2013. She deputized Speaker Justin Muturi until she quit parliamentary contests to run for the governor's seat in Bomet in 2017.
Laboso's re-election in 2013 made her the first woman from Bomet to serve for two terms in Parliament, a feat she achieved by becoming the only MP from Bomet to successfully defend her seat.
Laboso's final days were marked by a desperate plea to her doctors to be discharged from hospital. She had been in hospitals in London, India, and Nairobi, where she died on July 22, 2019.
According to medical staff, Laboso was first diagnosed with cancer in 1991, but she had been in remission until recently when her health deteriorated. Doctors noted that the cancer had spread throughout her body.
Published on July 30, 2019, at 6:34 AM.
