5 Controversial African First Ladies and How They Made International Headlines

Fredrick Ngugi September 08, 2017

Lucy Kibaki

Former Kenyan First Lady the late Lucy Kibaki. Photo credit: Newsweek

Lucy Kibaki, Kenya

The late Lucy Kibaki was the wife of the former President of Kenya Mwai Kibaki who ruled the country between 2002 and 2013. Apart from her philanthropic initiatives aimed at supporting the disadvantaged members of the society, Lucy was also known for her no-nonsense personality.

She is particularly remembered for the controversial incident in which she stormed into the Nation Media Group offices at Nation Center demanding the arrest of a reporter who had written a story about her previous confrontation with her neighbor, the former World Bank Country Director Mr. Makhtar Diop. The late First Lady is alleged to have stormed into Mr. Diop’s house at midnight in Muthaiga Estate, Nairobi, where he was hosting a private party, and forced him to turn the music down.

Also, the controversial First Lady once physically assaulted a master of ceremony during a State House dinner party in 2007. It is alleged that the MC had mistakenly introduced her as Lucy Wambui Kibaki (Wambui being the President’s alleged second wife) instead of Lucy Muthoni Kibaki. Lucy died in April 2016 after a long illness.

Last Edited by:Sandra Appiah Updated: September 8, 2017

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