Margaret Kenyatta

For her husband's half-sister with the same name, see Margaret Kenyatta (mayor).

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 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 (1964-04-08) 8 April 1964 (age 61)
Nationality	Kenyan
Spouse	Uhuru Kenyatta ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	3

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^{[citation needed]} which includes mother and child wellness.^[2][3] She has 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]

See also

• Beyond Zero