Today is a sad day as we lost one of the forerunners of post-independence Kenya, the late great Orie Rogo Manduli.
The former rally driver, NGO head and political activist passed on a few hours ago after battling an undisclosed illness the past few months.
In this article, we remember some of her most popular and controversial quotes over the years. They are below:
1. Attack on Vera Sidika
The late Orie said that the socialite was a stupid woman for having bleached her skin and that her booty was fake.“I think this Vera Sidika woman is very stupid. Shame on her. She is an embarrassment to women, and I feel sorry for her parents," she told SDE.
2. Attack on Akothee
The late ex-chair of the NGO Council criticised Kenyan singer Akothee for performing on a Wembley stage in London, while dressed in a skimpy swimsuit.
In an interview with EDAILY, Orie said that Akothee was a “rogue” woman,
“Akothee is rogue. She should draw [cultural] boundaries, and stop aping the whites. First of all, her dressing on stage was so inappropriate, given she is a mother of five. Based on her behaviour, Akothee risks chasing away good men who are, probably, pursuing her daughters." said Ms Manduli.
3. Attack on the current generation of female TV news anchors
5 years ago, the former KBC TV host was of the opinion that the country didn't have female news anchors anymore, saying,
“We don’t have news anchors anymore. They obviously lost it a long time ago. I feel sorry for them. I don’t even believe or listen to what they say because of the things they do. Every time I see one on screen I think of what I read about them on social media,” she said.
Adding,
“We have enough rot in the country. We don’t need any more of it from TV girls who are being watched by our daughters in school. Their materialism is particularly getting out of hand,” she said.
4. On why she participated in the Safari Rally in 1974 and 1975
In an interview with Eve magazine in 2014, she said that her reason for entering the rally was to prove that ethnic Kenyan woman could also participate, saying,
"I was angry that we were hosting the Safari Rally annually and the few women who were participating were all foreigners. I wanted to prove that Kenyan women, too, could participate in car racing. I do not like to be put in a box or to be stereotyped."
5. Her viewpoint on marriage and getting kids
She said that she understood women who didn't want to get married but couldn't quite understand women who didn't want kids.
“Marriage can be tricky and when it comes to children, I just don’t understand why a woman would not want to have her own. Children are the reason we work so hard, besides being our future generation and the ones who will help us in old age. You cannot send your cat or dog to run errands, can you?”
6. All her 3 daughters would get prenups as men cannot be trusted
“I will not let my daughters marry without a prenuptial agreement. Lazy men take advantage of hardworking women. Men cannot be trusted to take care of the children after a woman passes on due to their polygamous nature.”
7. Her prophetic prediction of the future she would have
In a previous interview, she recalled a question she was asked on her first day, on her first job as the P.A to the then Kenya Railways and Harbours Corporation general manager, PJ Mwangola.
She was asked, "Where are you going?" to which she replied, "The stars".
And to the stars is where we hope the indefatigable Manduli is at the moment.
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