Jamal Mbiyu Koinange is the son of popular Kenyan Journalist Jeff Koinange and beautiful, down-to-earth Shaila Koinange.
He carries the infectious energy of his father and a stunning resemblance to his mum.
Born in 2007, Jamal turns 16 years in 2023.
Here are a few interesting facts about Jamal Mbiyu Koinange.
A Son Long Awaited For
Jamal’s parents got married in 1998.
As with most couples, they had looked forward to soon having a child of their own.
However, this did not happen as soon as they had hoped.
They struggled with conception for 9 long years. Jeff Koinange narrated their conception journey in his book, “Through My African Eyes”.
The couple had tried different conception methods but they had all been unsuccessful.
Luckily, a friend they had met in Lagos suggested Invitro fertilization (IVF) at a famous fertility clinic in Barcelona, Spain.
IVF is a complicated medical procedure that involves the collection of matured eggs from ovaries.
The eggs are then fertilized with collected sperm in a lab and then transferred to the uterus.
The whole procedure takes up to 3 weeks.
Though Jeff and Shaila had unsuccessfully tried IVF in different countries, they decided to take their friend’s advice.
Because of the disappointment that usually comes with failed attempts, Jeff and Shaila were not very hopeful.
However, their skepticism soon turned into joy as they discovered that for the first time, they were expecting a child.
The procedure had been a success.
Nine months later, they held their precious son, Jamal Mbiyu Koinange in their arms.
Made of Greatness
With a famous dad, it was highly likely that Jamal would get to rub shoulders with great men and women.
True to it, he got to meet the legendary Nelson Mandela when he was just 8 months old.
Jeff recalled how embarrassing the moment could have turned after Jamal took a heavy, smelly dump as they were being ushered into Nelson Mandela’s office.
Jeff rerouted to a bathroom and gave him a quick change before they proceeded to meet Mandela.
As he held Jamal in his hands, Mandela referred to him as a “son of a chief”.
Nelson Mandela is not the only former South African president Jamal met. In 2017, when he was 10 years old, his father took him to meet the second president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki.
Mbeki was the serving as the head of the African Union Election Observation Mission and had visited the country in an observatory role.
Jeff stated that his son was aware that he was in the presence of greatness and he cherished the moment.
We can only wait and see what this miracle child, who is made of greatness, will accomplish in his life.
Will he follow in the footsteps of his father?
Well, that is yet to be seen.
Image Sources: 1, 2, 3
