Defying All Odds, 102-Year-Old Woman Casts Vote In Today’s Kenyan Election

Clutching her rosary in one hand and voting card in the other, 102-year-old Lydia Gathoni, a clear contender for Kenya’s keenest voter, queued through the night to ensure she was first in line to cast her ballot today. Gathoni is a die-hard supporter of the incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Born in 1915 when Kenya was known as the British East Africa protectorate, Gathoni was well into middle age by the time Kenya’s independence arrived in 1963 and her idol, Jomo Kenyatta, became its first president. Her admiration has since passed to Kenyatta’s 55-year-old son, Uhuru, who is running for re-election against his veteran rival Raila Odinga, a 72-year-old former political prisoner and son of Kenya’s first vice-president.