Former news anchor Jackie Maribe has left netizens swooning after she shared a romantic heartfelt message wishing her best friend, President William Ruto’s digital strategist and deputy cabinet secretary Dennis Itumbi, a happy birthday.
Taking to her Instagram stories to share the message, the mother of one shared a post of her and the digital strategist looking dapper at an evening party a couple of years back.
In the photo, Maribe, who currently holds the position of Head of Communications in the Ministry of Public Service Performance and Delivery Management, was dressed is a smart casual blue dress paired with minimal accessories while Itumbi donned a jet-black 3-piece suit paired with a white shirt and a bowtie.
The two were all smiles with Itumbi’s arm placed on Jacque’s shoulder as they posed for the photo.
Captioning the photo, Maribe hailed Dennis as, “the man who owns her heart,” as she showered him with love and blessings on his special day.
Reports of their entanglement first garnered widespread attention back in February 2015 when photos of them sharing a kiss on the lips and in another photo, deep in embrace as Maribe planted a kiss on Itumbi’s cheek leaked online. Despite these images alluding to a romantic link, Maribe reiterated that they were simply close friends enjoying each other’s company.
For years on end, despite their body language and closeness, the two constantly denied being an item labelling each other as close friends.
The dynamics of their intriguing friendship took a backseat when Joseph ‘Jowie’ Irungu entered Maribe’s life. The two dated for a while and were briefly engaged to each other, before Jowie was implicated and named as a suspect in the tragic murder of Monica Kimani in September 2018.
by HANNIE PETRA
