Ken Okoth, the late Member of Parliament for Kibra, had a secret love affair with Anne Thumbi, a Nairobi County Assembly member, that lasted for years and involved a child.
According to Anne, she met Ken in 2013 at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, where she was working as a nurse. Ken, who was 33 years old at the time, was immediately smitten with Anne and asked her out.
Despite being married to Monica, Ken and Anne's love affair blossomed, and they started meeting often. As Ken's political campaigns heated up, he asked Anne to lead his team, and the two spent their days strategizing and campaigning in Kibra.
Friends who worked with them described the two as lovebirds, and even as they campaigned in the trenches of Kibra, they dreamt of a life together.
Ken won the seat in March 2013, and soon after, he used his political connections to have Anne nominated as a member of the Nairobi County Assembly. The couple's love affair continued to blossom, and in 2015, they were blessed with a baby boy, Jayden Baraka Okoth.
Ken immediately assumed the fatherly role and was always there for them, says Anne. He bought Jayden his first bicycle and always enquired about his development milestones and performance in school.
However, Ken's family was not aware of his secret love affair, and when Anne went to court seeking to have the burial of her secret lover stopped until the controversy surrounding Jayden's paternity is resolved, Ken's family refused to acknowledge her.
On Thursday, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko stirred controversy when he asked Ken's family to acknowledge that their son had 'another wife and a child'. 'I respect you mama and Monica,' said Mr Sonko. 'Ken had a child and I ask you to just accept the child because Ken is not happy where he is, knowing his son has not been accepted.'
