NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 15 – Controversial fashion icon Orie Rogo Manduli will be buried at her Kitale home on October 2, her family has announced.
The family Spokesman Gor Semelang’o said Manduli will be laid to rest at her Tondorie Estate in Trans Nzoia County.
Ahead of the burial, the family said, there will be a funeral service at the All Saints Cathedral Church in Nairobi on September 28.
“We will be celebrating the life of Manduli with a funeral mass at All Saints Cathedral on Tuesday, the 28th September 2021 at 12 noon to 4pm followed by the burial in Kitake,” he said.
Manduli died on Wednesday at her Nairobi home, aged 73. She gained fame when she became the first female rally driver in the 1970’s under the East Africa Safari rally.
“Mama Orie Rogo Manduli passed away the way she lived-on her own terms-and with a strong Christian faith. Despite the deep loss we have experienced, we find comfort in our grief knowing her last days were filled with joy, having recently celebrated her birthday,” Semelang’o told a news conference on Wednesday.
President Uhuru Kenyatta mourned her as a fashion icon, woman of many firsts and trailblazer who fought tirelessly for women empowerment.
On her signature attire and head gear, the Head of State said the departed Orie Rogo Manduli fully embraced the African culture and was a recognized fashion icon and trendsetter.
“Mama Orie Rogo Manduli was a fashion icon whose trademark African print attire and prominent head gear made her one of Africa’s most recognizable personalities,” the President recalled.
Manduli was vocal in the political and entertainment scene until 2017 when she took a back seat, only showing up on television interviews, the last being on JKL with Jeff Koinange.
She was famous with her headgear and her bold approach to issues.
Besides politics and entertainment, Manduli is remembered as the first female rally driver under the East African Safari rally in 1974 and 1975.
She was Mary Orie Rogo before she got married and acquired the name Mary Orie Rogo Ondieki but divorced later after the couple was blessed with three children.
She again got married to a Zambian, Norman Manduli in 1980 and acquired the name Manduli which she used until her death.
Manduli served in various government appointments, including boards on governance and women issues.
Most notable ones include at the National Council of Non-Governmental Organisations, International Council of Women’s Council representative to the United Nations Environment Programme and Habitat among others.
