It was first unimaginable that a lady married to a different region would go back home and win an elective seat for over a decade, Dr Joyce Laboso's husband has said.
Edwin Abonyo, who made a rare public address on Monday outside Lee Funeral home, showered praises to the people of Bomet and Sotik for trusting in Dr Laboso.
Dr Laboso, 58, who was among pioneer female governors in Kenya, died on Monday at Nairobi Hospital where she had been admitted to the HDU.
According to Abonyo, he never believed that Joyce would be elected to a public office back at her ancestral home, long after getting married to Nyanza.
"Infact, I never imagined that she could get elected after being married to a different region. This was a special honour by the people of Bomet and Sotik," he said.
Dr Laboso was first elected to represent Sotik constituency in 2008 after the death of her sister Lorna. She successfully defended the seat in 2013, which saw her elected as first female Deputy Speaker.
In 2017, she floored Dr Julius Kones in Jubilee gubernatorial primaries before beating Isaac Ruto of CCM in August polls to become second governor of Bomet.
And according to reports from Nairobi Hospital, Dr Laboso had asked them to release her from HDU so that she could go home and rest.
“I want to go rest at home,” she had told one of her doctors on July 21 from her hospital bed in the high dependency unit (HDU).
A statement issued by her office earlier on Monday, indicated that Dr Laboso was on recovery path, only to die hours later.
"The office of the Governor would like to reassure the residents of Bomet and the general public that Her Excellency Dr Joyce Laboso is recuperating well and is still under doctor's observation," read the statement.