Retired President Daniel Arap Moi had only one known wife, Helena Bomett, who he married in 1950.

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Helena, who later became Lena Moi, was the mother of Jonathan Kipkemboi Moi who passed on last week.

The couple had other seven children who include Gideon Moi, the KANU chairman and current Senator for Baringo County.

Moi wedded Lena at African Inland Church (AIC) in Eldama Ravine after paying the dowry of two heifers, one ox, and four sheep to her father Paul Bomett.

The couple lived a quiet life both working as teachers until 1955 when Moi was appointed to the Legco to represent the Rift Valley region.

The new job made the family move from Tambach to Nairobi and Lena was forced to quit her teaching job and become a housewife.

But the real problems hit the family when Moi was appointed as the Vice President in 1967 by Kenya's founding father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.

Lena, who was not known to many, was brought to national limelight as she had to accompany her husband to many official engagements.

Things took a new twist for the family when Kenyatta suffered a heart attack in 1969 and Moi had to take over temporarily as head of government.

Due to the nature of his work, he bought land at Kabimoi Farm, built a house and moved Lena and children there from Nairobi.

According to Moi's biographer Andrew Morton, this is when the retired Head of State abandoned his wife for politics.

“He would travel anywhere, do anything, see anybody if that was Kenyatta’s wish,” he wrote in the biography, The Making of An African Statesman.

But Moi would not leave his wife for good until an event happened in 1974.

The Vice President had organised a dinner dance at the Rift Valley Technical College and Kenyatta was the chief guest.

While Moi danced with the First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta, Lena refused to dance with the President and insulted him.

“As an uncompromising Christian (Lena) believed that dancing was sinful, but the insult to the President gravely embarrassed Moi," wrote Morton.

Following the 'embarrassment', Moi sent his wife away from the vice-president’s official residence at Nairobi’s Kabarnet Gardens to Kabimoi where she quietly lived with her son Jonathan until her death in 2004.

Interestingly, even if they officially divorced in 1979, Lena was laid to rest at Moi's Kabarak home near Nakuru Town.