Vera Sidika is very stupid – Orie Rogo Manduli
Vera Sidika: She is rebellious. Stubborn. Hot headed. Fearless. Never boring and has no apologies for being different. Fastidious and a fashionably outrageous dresser, she has made Kenyans come to terms with who she is – Orie Rogo Manduli. Mwaura Samora puts her on the carpet at her Riverside home, where she spoke about love letters, slapping men, why Uhuru Kenyatta should talk less and why Vera Sidika and her ilk are a disappointment.
1. There were allegations that you overshadowed the wedding of your daughter
That is absolute nonsense. It is my daughter who chose the dress I wore. I was going to sport one of my kangas, you know whatever I wear becomes fashionable! By lunch time, on the eve of the wedding, I still didn‘t know what I was going to wear. The outfit was her idea, she coordinated the colours in such a way that my headscarf, gele (headgear) and ashoke matched the archbishop‘s mitre.
2. What is your take on the current trend of socialites, particularly the famous Vera Sidika
I think they are all a bunch of takataka (rubbish). You media people are spawning something dangerous by promoting such characters. 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. I hope they tried their best to advise and guide her. By bleaching herself, it‘s obvious that she is ashamed to be black. If she‘s embarrassed of being black, why can‘t she just emigrate and live with people whose skin colour she considers ideal
Why come back to Africa and sell us her fake silicon behind My daughters have posteriors that would probably bring Africa to a standstill! But they don‘t flaunt them in people‘s faces. Vera is the most despicable woman we have ever had in this country, and should be given a media blackout to protect our young girls from her bad influence and misguided ways.
3. As a former Miss East Africa, do you think there is a beauty queen who has surpassed the bar you set
None. What we see today are young women obsessed with physical beauty, forgetting that looks fade with time. I am lucky to have been born of parents who taught me to value beauty beyond the physical, and to consider intellect as a more superior manifestation of beauty.
A beauty that never fades. I read about a Miss Kenya who took off with another woman‘s husband. What a shame!
4. Is it true that you supported the now famous Wambui Otieno marriage to Mbugua
No. In fact I castigated her the most. I made it clear that had she done that to my son, I would have shot her! Check your records, and you‘ll get my position on that issue. That union was a disgrace to women. She married a boy young enough to be her grandchild.
I didn‘t expect a woman of her calibre to stoop so low, which in my opinion is the reserve of stupid African men, known to marry their great granddaughters.
5. If you were to go back to your 20s, what would you change
I wouldn‘t marry so young, but everything else would replay in exactly the same way. I have no regrets for living my life the way I did.
6. Why did you stop rallying, should we expect to see you behind the wheels of a race car anytime soon
I was the first African woman rally driver. I stopped because rallying is expensive and time consuming. I had other priorities, like my children as well as my job. Rallying wasn‘t going to put food on the table, it was actually going to take away their maziwa (milk).
7. Have you ever slapped a man
Yes, I have. I have done it in traffic, when they disrespect me on the roads (laughs). I can‘t stand silly men thinking they have the licence for contempt towards women.
I once grabbed a man by his shirtfront for being rude. He didn‘t expect it, and as he drove off in a hurry, the shirt got torn and and a piece of it remained in my hands. I was also at the centre of a fracas at the NGOs Council. I took on Harun Ndubi who was interfering with the council, grabbed his jacket and threw him out.
8. Can you remember the first time you got a love letter
(Laughs). Yes, I remember that. I took it to my father. It was from a boy in school, and incidentally, my dad was the headmaster. It wasn‘t good for the boy, especially since my dad thought he was the best in school. After that, all the boys avoided me. They thought I was stupid because I share love letters with my dad.
9. Which woman leader do you respect most in Kenya
Charity Ngilu. She has tried a lot to lift women. She nominated Cecily Mbarire who is now doing well politically. Although she concentrated on the eastern parts of the country, at least she tried.
The ones from Western Kenya and Nyanza don‘t want to see other people‘s daughters rise. They actually suppress other women and kill their initiatives.
10. Do you have any future political ambitions
My life is not driven by politics, I intend to concentrate on what I currently do. I believe political power is not what Kenyan women need most.
What they need most is economic muscle. My advise to women in Kenya is to first seek economic power for financial independence and freedom, the rest will follow automatically. I actually discouraged my nephew, a prominent young man, from vying for a political seat in the city, since I believe he would be wasting time.
11. Do you cook
I like cooking ugali and fish. My favourite is millet and cassava ugali and whole Tilapia, it‘s why I have started a fish pond in one of my properties in Nairobi.
12. If you were to meet Uhuru today, what is that one thing you would tell him
I will tell him say one thing and stick to it. He tends to talk too much. You don‘t need to respond to all critics.
Photo:Jeff Ochieng
