On Saturday morning the name of Kirinyaga Governor was Anne Mumbi Waiguru but in the evening it was Anne Mumbi Kamotho.
The last name changed after the politician exchanged marriage vows and walked down the aisle with her lover, city lawyer Kamotho Waiganjo.
She was in the past married to Tony Waiguru Njuguna but they divorced after having three children.
The couple tied the knot through a traditional wedding conducted according to the culture of the Agikuyu community.
During the ceremony, known as 'Ngurario', a goat was slaughtered and various parts, such as 'ikengeto' (ribs), were cut to signify that Mumbi no longer belonged to her parents but to Kamotho.
“These ribs show that Mumbi was made for Kamotho. She is a part of him,” said Clement Warorwa, who officiated the ceremony.
Mumbi was born and raised in Kagumoini, Gichugu Constituency in Kirinyaga County but after marrying the city lawyer, she crossed over to Murang’ a County, where Kamotho hails from.
That's where a 'problem' comes in, according to lawyer and political commentator Wahome Thuku.
Thuku opined that the change from Anne Waiguru to Ann Kamotho may harm her political career at a time she has been touted as a 'kingmaker' in the 2022 general election.
There have been claims that the former Devolution Cabinet Secretary was eyeing Deputy President post in the next polls.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, he said it could even be difficult for Anne to defend her gubernatorial seat since some Kirinyaga residents will start seeing her as an 'outsider'.
"Yes, the wedding has a political underbelly. Yesterday I spent time with a leader from Kirinyaga who told me that as soon as Anne drops the name Waiguru and takes up Kamotho, her gubernatorial seat will be history. "We elected Waiguru, not Kamotho," he told me. But that is Kirinyaga and their politics," said Thuku, who is a former journalist.
However, speaking to Saturday Standard, Kamotho exuded confidence that the marriage will not hurt his wife's political ambitions and asked people not to read to much into her latest move.
“Why is it that people only ask about where someone is married if it is a woman? Male politicians marry all the time and nobody makes it a big deal,” the lawyer said.