Meet Lucy Weru: Mt Kenya Tycoon Who Chased Raila from Her Hotel
Lucy Weru, a business tycoon in the Mount Kenya region made headlines in August 2007 after she chased former Prime Minister Raila Odinga from her hotel, Karatina Tourist Lodge in Nyeri County.
Other than the hotel, she owns other business ventures such as Maathai supermarkets and buildings in Nairobi and other parts of the country.
Weru was not widely known until 20 August 2007 when she kicked Odinga from her hotel in Karatina, making her a subject of discussion in the country.
Media reports indicate that Odinga and a section of leaders allied to him visited Karatina Tourist Lodge after attending a funeral service in Nyeri on 20 August 2007.
At the lodge, the leaders planned to have lunch, but as they settled down at the facility, Weru stormed in and asked them to immediately leave her establishment.
"Who brought you here? We do not want ODM here. Can you please leave now? We do not want your money...Waambie watoke na ata akiwa rais asinisaidie," she was quoted.
Collage image of Raila Odinga and Lucy Weru. [Photo: Courtesy]
Despite appeals for her to allow the ODM leader and his team to have lunch, Weru insisted that the group should leave, prompting Odinga's entourage to exit the establishment.
Addressing the media after the incident, Weru noted that she kicked out the former premier because he allegedly visited the lodge without notice and held a political meeting, which she claimed was inconveniencing other guests.
She would later tell Odinga to apologise for visiting the hotel without informing her.
“I was called by one of my workers who informed me that a group of about 60 people including Mr Odinga had checked in and turned the hotel into a conference room. I felt so bad when I found Raila addressing a crowd inside the hotel and I decided to chase them away," Weru told the press.
On his part, Odinga said he had forgiven the tycoon and later promised to meet and have tea with her.
The tycoon is mother-in-law to late former President Mwai Kibaki's son David Kagai and renowned city lawyer Donald Kipkorir.
