President Kenyatta’s niece, Nana Gecaga says she had to work hard to reach where she is today and the notion that her family gave her an advantage is wrong.
Ms. Gecaga, who is the CEO of Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), said she rose through the corporate ladder by merit.
“If that were true then we would be dormant. The president doesn’t come here and give me ideas,” Nana said during an interview with KTN.
The mother of three said being a member of the first family made her to work even harder in a bid to prove herself.
“He (President Kenyatta) does not come and make sure that everything is working fine. So, that is a perception and it is about breaking that perception.”
“We have people who come from families that are maybe less known and have become leaders and visionaries in their own right. So, I think we need to stop labeling people,” said Nana.
Prior to being appointed as KICC CEO, the 41-year-old worked as a program and special marketing advisor at the Ministry of Tourism.
In an interview last year, Nana narrated about her struggle with alcohol addiction during her teenage years until her early 20s. She explained that she used to consume a crate of beer every day and a bottle of hard liquor on top of it.
‘’Well it was 24 beers that’s a crate a day and a half a bottle or full bottle of liquor,’’ said Gecaga.
She added that she decided to quit taking alcohol at the age of 21 after living in the United Kingdom for about 10 years, a move that cost her many friends.
‘’It’s a very vicious circle, we all have challenges, we all have issues that we face, never judge a book by its cover. The one thing I can actually say to them is, tomorrow is another day and try to live or get to that day and never be ashamed or too proud to ask for support. Kenya has a lot of support and use it,” she noted.
