On Thursday morning, as news broke of the death of June Chebet, the daughter of former President Daniel Arap Moi, many Kenyans only got to learn that she was an adopted child.
Equally interesting is that not many of Moi's workers, when he was the Vice President of Kenya between 1967 and 1978, knew this bit of detail about the youngest daughter of their boss.
June was adopted by Moi when she was barely four years old when the future Head of State was the Vice President.
At the time, the late Moi already had two biological daughters - Jenifer and Doris.
“I don’t know under what circumstance June was adopted by Moi. What I know for sure is he (Moi) would not have adopted her without the approval of his late wife Lena,” the source said.
“Moi never made the adoption (of June) public… he had no reason to do so... June was already part of the family.”
Moi’s other children include the late Jonathan, John Mark, Raymond, and Philip whose twin sister is Doris. Gideon, the former Baringo senator, is the last born.
June was an alumnus of The Kenya High School in Kileleshwa, Nairobi.
She was once married to Captain John Okubasu, a pilot by profession and son of renowned retired Judge Emmanuel Okubasu. They had a daughter called Paula.
However, the marriage failed and the couple separated.
Mzee Moi’s first daughter Jenifer was married to Stephen Kositany who died in a road accident along Kapsabet –Eldoret road in 1994.
Doris also lost her husband - Ibrahim Choge who was a rally driver and a co-driver of Moi’s first son Jonathan.
Choge died on June 8, 1998 in a grisly road accident along Kapsabet – Kismu road.
Choge's father, Simeon Kiptum Choge, once served as an Assistant Minister in the Office of the President.
Apart from Philip, who worked in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), no other Moi child was ever employed in the public sector. Raymond and Gideon were once elected leaders.
“She was a great storyteller and enjoyed a hearty laugh. She enjoyed good music. She is a woman I would describe as free-spirited and loved her siblings,” said the sister-in-law.
Without giving details, the relative also said June had lately been in and out of the hospital.
