• Abonyo at the time was a manager at the African Highlands while Laboso was a college student.
• The radiotherapy treatment he said had future side effects.
Image: Douglas Okiddy
Edwin Abonyo, the husband of the late Joyce Laboso has revealed why the former Bomet Governor did not go public about her health condition.
He said Laboso was first diagnosed with cancer in 1991.
"It was a scare in our life, we were very young, still running up and down. We were very early in our marriage. We felt our parents would be scared our marriage would fail," he said.
Abonyo spoke on Thursday during Laboso's memorial service at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi.
Abonyo at the time was a manager at the African Highlands while Laboso was a college student.
He was in a sombre mood when he drove to his mother's home crying.
"Upon breaking the sad news to my mother, we knelt down and prayed. My mother then said that God will see us through," he said.
Doubtful of the mother's word, Abonyo drove back to Kericho and the following day he took the woman described as an 'iron lady' to Nairobi hospital for treatment.
"The hospital did chemotherapy and radiotherapy on her and she survived," he said.
The radiotherapy treatment he said had future side effects.
"Even after Laboso was declared cancer-free, she often fell ill but only very close friends knew the whole truth," he said.
Their two children, Brian Abonyo and Ted Abonyo were born at the time and could see their mother taken to the hospital several times.
They, however, did not know about their mother's condition.
"Brian and Ted learnt about their mother's condition when they were in their 20s. She hated sympathy and drama so she avoided telling her children," he said.
She hated sympathy and was very confident she would conquer the disease.
Abonyo said that cancer attacked her the second time in February this year.
At the time, she had organised a Universal Health Care half-marathon to raise funds towards the National Health Insurance Fund fees for needy families in the Bomet.
Abonyo said that she was unwell but she ran to avoid the public from suspecting her deteriorating health.
"She could run a bit then get back to the car. At the stadium she did another lap then went to rest in a hotel before the arrival of Deputy President William Ruto," he said.
Deputy President William Ruto was expected to preside over the event.
On Ruto's arrival at the event, Abonyo said Laboso quickly washed her face and went to receive the DP like nothing was wrong.
"She kept her condition under wraps for she hated drama and sympathy," she said.
Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso died on Monday.
Laboso had been admitted at the facility's ICU last week since she arrived from India where she was receiving treatment.
She became the first female governor of Bomet after winning a tough battle against Isaac Rutto in 2017.
Laboso subdued her detractors who tried to use her marriage to a man from a different region to sabotage her governor bid.
She was married in Nyanza and some of her detractors said she did not deserve to become a Rift Valley governor because she "belonged" to another region after getting married.
Joyce Cherono Laboso died at 58 years.