Margaret Kenyatta
Kenyatta in August 2018
First Lady of Kenya
In role
9 April 2013 – 13 September 2022
PresidentUhuru Kenyatta
Preceded byLucy Kibaki
Succeeded byRachel Ruto
Personal details
Born
Margaret Wanjiru Gakuo

(1964-04-08) 8 April 1964
NationalityKenyan
Spouse
​
(m. 1991)​
Children3

Margaret Gakuo Kenyatta (born 8 April 1964) is a Kenyan educator who served as First Lady of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. She is the wife of Uhuru Kenyatta, the immediate former Kenyan president.

Biography

Margaret Wanjiru Gakuo was born on 8 April 1964 to a Kenyan father, Njuguna Gakuo, a former director of the Kenya Railways Corporation, and a German mother, Magdalena.[1] She attended Kianda School, St. Andrews School in Molo, Kenya, and received a Bachelor of Education from Kenyatta University.[1]

Social activism

Kenyatta has voiced her opinion on a number of social issues in Kenya ranging from mother and child wellness,[2][3] including a mother-baby hospital unit named after her.[2] Kenyatta has encouraged patients to fight cancer through early screening for breast, cervical and prostate cancer[4] and tackling diabetes by encouraging a healthy lifestyle. Kenyatta is also a big supporter of numerous educational and charity programs in Kenya, taking part in the opening of WE Charity College in Narok County,[5] and promoting the conservation of historic sites and monuments.[6]

Public opinion of her in Kenya tends to focus positively on the simplicity of her fashion and temperament, and negatively on her perceived timidity. Since the inauguration, Kenyatta has headed up a campaign, dubbed the Beyond Zero Campaign,[7] to reduce child maternal mortality rates. On 24 October 2014, she was named Kenya Person of the Year.[8] She is Catholic and serves as an alumna of the Catholic girls' school, Kianda School.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Muriuki, Benjamin (2017-05-22). "Margaret Kenyatta, Ida Odinga and Rachel Ruto Are Teachers by Profession". Kenyans.co.ke. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  2. 1 2 Kahenda, Mercy. "Margret Kenyatta Mother baby unit to boost maternal health in Nakuru and environs". The Standard. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  3. ↑ "Kenya to take UHC lessons from Barbados, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta says". Capital News. 2019-08-09. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  4. ↑ "Margaret Kenyatta calls for lifestyle change to combat disease". hivisasa.com. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  5. ↑ Kiplagat, Robert. "First Lady roots for education in eradicating poverty". The Standard. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  6. ↑ Kamunde, Muraya (2019-08-10). "First Lady calls for cooperation in conservation of archaeological sites". KBC | Kenya's Watching. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  7. ↑ "Unveiling UHURU MUIGAI KENYATTA's wife.. Mama MARGARET WANJIRU KENYATTA". Daily Post (Kenya). March 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  8. ↑ "Margaret Kenyatta is the 2014 UN in Kenya Person of the Year - Daily Nation". www.nation.co.ke. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  9. ↑ Home page of school


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