2007 Kenya elections By Lilian Museka When the history of Kenya’s politicians is finally written, Mrs Charity Kaluki Ngilu’s will no doubt occupy a bigger chapter. For she is a woman of many firsts. Rising from humble backgrounds in Eastern Province, Mrs Ngilu embarked on a mission that finally saw her become Kenya’s minister for health, a duty she discharged to the best of her ability. Her appointment did not come easy though: she worked hard for it, given that she was the 9th born in a family of 13 siblings born to poor parents. A mother of two daughters and a son, Mrs Ngilu is a widow, having lost her husband last year. Beautiful and intelligent, Mrs Ngilu took the Kenyan political landscape by storm when she entered the presidential race in the 1997 general elections, becoming the first woman to do so. In a field crowded by male veterans such as the retired President Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki, the late Michael Wamalwa Kijana and Raila Odinga, Mrs Ngilu posted an impressive perfo...