By Staff Writer
Tessie Shangatti Mudavadi is wife to former vice president of Kenya and current Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi. The first time Mudavadi set his eyes on Tessie, he knew she was the one. In an interview on KTN Morning Express, Mudavadi revealed that he met his wife during a fundraiser in Lugari.
“I was somewhere in Lugari and we were conducting a public function to raise money for a school. And while we were there, one of the board members of that school came with his family and somewhere in the crowd there was this very beautiful lady”.
“Later we went for lunch at this board member’s house and this beautiful lady was there. The rest is history,” told Mudavadi KTN’s Michael Gitonga.
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Marriage
Tessie tied the knot with 31 year old Mudavadi, who was serving as the Minister for Supplies and Marketing, on November 17, 1991. The couple will be marking 31 years of marriage this November (2021).
Many years into the marriage, Mudavadi describes his wife as a pillar to the family who holds forte when he is absent.
She has been a good mother to my children and where I have been absent because of my political career, she has filled the gap,” Mudavadi told a local daily.
He went on to say he does not regret marrying Tessie.
“…………….Do they have the humour, do they have the sense of purpose, the focus – you know, all these things help in shaping the kind of relationship you are looking for? So I would say that as I looked at her and we talked, with time, the values that I saw in her are the ones that attracted me to her. And frankly speaking, I have no regrets,” Mudavadi told the Standard.
Children
Tessie is a mother of three children, two boys (Mike and Moses) and a girl (MaryAnne).
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Cancer Scare
In 2012, Tessie was diagnosed with breast cancer when her husband was about to be named the Jubilee Party flag-bearer only to be betrayed at the last minute. She responded to treatment and made a full recovery as the cancer had been detected early.
Job
Tessie is actively involved in cancer awareness. She also co-runs the Mudavadi Memorial Foundation Trust Fund.
