The life and times of ‘Kenyan Casanova’ Jackson Kibor

Mzee Jackson Kibor's life was that of a mythical genius - He lived fast, amassed an insane amount of wealth, walked into and out of a bunch of marriages, took his ex-wives head-on, riled up a ruling dictatorship, sparred with his sons, farmed with utmost enthusiasm and rocked an entire town with the mere mention of his venerable name.

Born in the early 50's in Nandi County, Mzee Kibor would be orphaned in his early years before dropping out of school in Class 5 for failure to pay a meagre Sh. 1.05 per annum.

The storied Eldoret legend would go to marry a staggering four wives - one of whom is dead - and bore a mind-boggling 26 children, including 16 boys.

Kibor would go on to make headlines with his long, tumultuous and, for the most part, successful divorces against his second and third wives.

In October 2017, an Eldoret court granted him a divorce from his second wife of 52 years, Josphine Jepkoech.

His calamitous divorce from his third wife Naomi Jeptoo would follow soon after.

“I was so happy the courts allowed me to part with the two women because they had become a burden in my life. I am happier and even feeling younger," Kibor said at the time.

This was a man of his times - a towering political figure who reigned across the entire Uasin Gishu region, having taking over the reins of Kanu in '92 and, soon after, getting embroiled in an ignominious spur with the then-President Mzee Moi who summoned him to State House and had him make an apology - on his knees- after a reckless statement he had made at a political rally.

Fabulously wealthy and fearless, Mzee Kibor went on to amass land the size of a small planet ; across Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, Nairobi, Taita Taveta and further across the Country, Mzee owned over 4,500 acres of land and, like the Rick Ross of his times, also owned a gleaming fleet of luxury vehicles.

He was fabled to own six shimmering Mercedes Benz S and C class cars and an expansive maize and wheat farms which contributed greatly to his insurmountable wealth.

Feisty, stern and showy, Mzee Kibor never shied away from touting his wealth and lived an ostentatious life that belied his deep pockets, deeper connections and deepest pride.

Like Anwar Zayden, the self-proclaimed King of Miami, Mzee Kibor was the King of Eldoret - a town he transformed into his little playground and a town that watched his family antics from the prime courtside seats.

The last years of his life saw him virally christened 'The Leader of the Men's Conference', an online conglomeration of men in touch with their manhood and detached from the throes, trappings and seductions of women.

This was a title that Mzee Kibor relished, even giving his maiden 'Men's Conference' keynote speech in February 14th, 2020 saying, " “In matters of love and other issues, I have lifetime experiences which I had to share with the young men."

Canterkerous and highly irritable, Mzee Kibor took on his own family head-on - throwing this own sons to Court alongside their mothers - and winning - and demanding a DNA test to ascertain the paternity of some of his own 'greedy' sons.

He would go on to famously sue his sons for illegally taking over more than 700 acres of his land and won the case after a legion years in court.

The sons appealed the decision.

In a classic Mzee Kibor incident, the Octogenarian infamously drew a loaded pistol on one of his own sons after a tiff at one of his farms - an action that drew widespread media coverage and that left him disarmed by the local police.

“I was so angry and would have shot him if he had attacked me. I just drew the gun to show him that I was ready," the patriarch told a media outlet.

After his disarmament, the irascible land baron had a Land Cruiser fitted with ridiculously long sharp spikes, which he said would be his defence.

Mzee Kibor later married his fourth wife, Yunita Kibor, less than half his age, and attracted the ire of the elders and those he called "Kibor-haters". They had four children.

“Yunita has taken good care of me in my sunset years and I don’t regret my decision. She made me feel younger and more energetic," Kibor said at the time. 

Men across Kenya admired this legendary farming tycoon for his fearlessness, hot-takes, wisdom, intrepidity, immense wealth, family gallantry and romantic overtures.

This was a man who shook cities and brought towns to a standstill, a man who took on his own sons and hauled them to court, a man who picked up and dropped wives cavalierly, a man who spoke his mind and went for the gauntlet, a man who drew guns and stood up for himself, a man who dared annoy a sitting President, a man who owned unconquerable wealth and a man who sired tons of children.

Sure, a man of all men. Rest in Peace, Mzee Kibor.