Margaret Kenyatta | |
|---|---|
 Kenyatta in August 2018 | |
| First Lady of Kenya | |
| In role 9 April 2013 – 13 September 2022 | |
| President | Uhuru Kenyatta |
| Preceded by | Lucy Kibaki |
| Succeeded by | Rachel Ruto |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Margaret Wanjiru Gakuo 8 April 1964 |
| Nationality | Kenyan |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
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.
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]
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.[citation needed] 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]
