The way Susan Mboya narrates her engagement story has an almost dramatic quality. In South Africa she and Evans Kidero passed a jeweler’s shop while strolling around Sandton City Mall. Rather than surreptitiously purchasing a ring he nonchalantly instructed her to enter select her preferred item and inform him. It was sensible. meticulous. Not quite the epic romance that many people envision.
Even still she chuckles as she describes it. Later on he did go down on one knee selecting what she refers to as a perfect setting fulfilling every emotional demand she was unaware she had. Perhaps more than any fairy tale proposal could have the engagement represented their personalities two successful adults who were analytical cautious and eager to take risks.
| Full Name | Dr. Susan Mboya Kidero |
|---|---|
| Known As | Evans Kidero Wife; Daughter of Tom Mboya |
| Profession | Business Executive, Philanthropist, Scholar |
| Education | Ph.D. & M.Sc. in Industrial Pharmacy (Massachusetts College of Pharmacy); B.Sc. Pharmacy (University of Connecticut) |
| Current/Notable Roles | President, Coca-Cola Africa Foundation; Group Director for Women’s Economic Empowerment (Coca-Cola Eurasia Africa Group); Founder, Zawadi Africa Education Fund |
| Nationality | Kenyan |
| Spouse | Dr. Evans Kidero, Former Nairobi Governor |
| Children | 1 son (with Evans Kidero) |
| Notable Parent | Tom Mboya, Kenyan nationalist leader |
She is merely Evans Kidero’s wife to many Kenyans. That abbreviation ignores the burden she bears by herself. Susan Mboya had established a career spanning from Cincinnati boardrooms to Johannesburg corporate towers long before Kidero entered politics. After joining Coca Cola in 2008 she rose to the position of President of the Coca Cola Africa Foundation and oversaw programs for women’s economic development in more than 50 nations. When you enter one of her public appearances you get the impression that she feels most at ease in settings where young women are holding notebooks rather than cameras.
Her place in Kenyan history would have been assured by her ancestry alone. She is the daughter of Tom Mboya a Pan Africanist and trade unionist who shaped Kenya after independence. That legacy may be both stressful and liberating. She seems to have a deep understanding of this dichotomy and accepts the responsibility without putting on a show.
She established the Zawadi Africa Education Fund in 2002 partially inspired by the Kennedy Mboya airlifts of the 1960s. Since then hundreds of academically talented African girls have attended universities like the University of Toronto Yale Harvard and MIT. The figures are astounding: collaborations across continents and billions of shillings mobilized. The subtler element however is more striking: young ladies from remote communities boarding flights for the first time while holding documents that symbolize a completely different future.
As this has developed over time it seems that Susan Mboya’s influence functions differently than political power. It takes longer. less obvious. Maybe more resilient.
Her marriage to Kidero developed during a time of introspection. When her mother died she was working as a senior executive at Coca Cola and residing in South Africa. She acknowledged that grief made her reevaluate what was important. You can either be a small fish in a big pond or you can come back home and do something big said Kidero a businessman at the time who was not yet involved in politics. This statement appears to have stuck with her.
They were married at Nairobi’s All Saints Cathedral within a year and a half and the Grand Regency hosted what she called a grown up wedding. Not extravagant. Not conspicuous. This was measured. Nairobi standards can be exorbitant.
Public life seldom remains quantifiable. Susan Mboya became entangled in the legal maelstrom when the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission started looking into Kidero’s money. She claimed in court documents that she was being regarded like an extension of her husband’s property a claim that many found obsolete and uncomfortable.
One feels frustrated even disbelieving upon reading her affidavit. She underlined that she had obtained her homes and financial records through her own earnings before getting married. She declared I am a distinct legal entity. It’s difficult to ignore the wider implication: even successful women with doctorates and worldwide jobs can be reduced to supporting roles in political disputes.
Whether the legal disputes changed how the public saw her is still up for debate. Her husband’s political career may be the main way that some view her. Her global resume according to others renders that framing rather ludicrous. Based on the consistent funding and institutional support of her efforts investors and nonprofit partners appear to have faith in her independence.
She has talked about Kidero’s gentler side in more private settings away from podiums and courtrooms such as the Friday flowers and the cup of tea she drinks when she gets back after a trip. Perhaps that’s why these elements seem so unremarkable. Power couples are frequently reduced to parodies. She gives a more nuanced description of the reality.
It seems that Susan Mboya had no intention of becoming a traditional political spouse. She wed a businessman who went on to enter politics. Neither expected the complexity that the shift probably brought. She once acknowledged the surprises along the way saying Our marriage has evolved.
Maybe that development is similar to Kenya itself ambitious sometimes turbulent and constantly balancing modernity and tradition. Evans Kidero’s time as governor of Nairobi may be remembered by history. However Susan Mboya’s influence can be seen in schools all over the world and in young women who return home with the goal of creating something greater than themselves.
i) https://www.pulse.co.ke/story/strength-of-a-woman-here-is-why-susan-mboya-kideros-wife-is-more-powerful-than-her-2024081706562598293
ii) https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/47785-kideros-wifes-multi-billion-organization-changing-lives
iii) https://www.nation.africa/kenya/counties/nairobi/american-varsity-honours-kidero-s-wife-for-helping-women-and-girls-1206280
iv) https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/work-life/article/2001299199/kidero-leave-my-wife-out-of-wealth-probe