Before the August 8, 2017, polls, the current Laikipia County Women Representative Catherine Wanjiku Waruguru was an icon to many owing to her outstanding looks.
Waruguru fondly referred to as ‘mrembo wa Laikipia’ was a nominated ward representative in the Laikipia County Assembly from 2013.
It is during her tenure as an MCA that she captured the lenses with her beauty and unrivaled fashion sense effectively catapulting her to popularity.
Laikipia Women Representative Catherine Waruguru speaking at a past event. [Photo/Facebook/Hon Cate Waruguru]
A fortnight ago though, the sultry MP hit the headlines after she was allegedly kicked out of a hotel in Kericho for failing to produce a marriage certificate.
She was in the company of her husband, Wakili Kigen when Sunshine Uperhill Hotel at the heart of Kericho Town turned them away for not producing this ‘crucial document’.This has sparked a debate among Kenyans from all spheres including a sizeable number of politicians who faulted the hotel for denting her image as a leader.
She threatened to sue the establishment over the saga. But who is Catherine Waruguru, the coveted ‘mrembo wa Laikipia?
Laikipia Women Representative Catherine Waruguru speaking at a past event. [Photo/Facebook/Hon Cate Waruguru]
The outspoken legislator was born in Central Kenya in a humble background. In a past interview with a local vernacular TV station, she recounted how hard her childhood was after her mother passed on and she was left to fend for her younger brother and herself.
The MP attended Kanyama Secondary School in Mathira, Nyeri County (2003-2006). She later enrolled at Karatina Institute of Theological College in 2007 for a Diploma course in theology.
Three years later, she enrolled for another diploma in business management at the Kenya Institute of Management. In 2014, she was admitted to Karatina University for an undergraduate degree where she studied Business Management and successfully completed in 2016.
She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in management and innovation at the Kenya College of Accountancy (KCA).
Before joining politics in 2013, she served as Access Kenya’s manager for Nanyuki zone. In 2013, defunct TNA Party led by President Uhuru Kenyatta nominated her to the Laikipia County Assembly.
This served as her springboard as she successfully vied for the Laikipia Women rep seat on a Jubilee Party ticket in last year’s polls.
Laikipia Women Representative Catherine Waruguru speaking at a past event. [Photo/Facebook/Hon Cate Waruguru]
The MP who is a mother of two has been vocal in support of polygamy in the country premised on the fact she is proud to be a second wife. She says women should not be held back by “societal decisions”.
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