First Lady of Kenya

The First Lady of Kenya is the title and role held by the wife of the president of Kenya.^[1] Kenya has had five first ladies since the independence in 1964.^[1] The modern role of the First Lady of Kenya not only supports the president, but wields influence publicly and behind-the-scenes.^[1]

First Lady of Kenya
Incumbent Rachel Ruto since 13 September 2022
Residence	State House
Inaugural holder	Ngina Kenyatta
Formation	12 December 1964
Website	Office of the First Lady of Kenya

The country's present first lady is Rachel Ruto, wife of President William Ruto, who took office on 13 September 2022.

History and role

Traditionally, the First Lady of Kenya performed social and diplomatic functions, such as holding State House social events and hosting official guests.^[1] In recent decades, an official Office of the First Lady was established, with a state budget and staff, leading to a much more influential role in Kenyan politics.^[1]

While the role of First Lady has been in existence since Ngina Kenyatta became the country's inaugural first lady at independence in 1964, it is not in the Constitution of Kenya. This has brought it under fire from opponents for having funding despite being unconstitutional.^[2] President William Ruto pulled funding from the office after a public outcry.

First ladies of Kenya

No		Name	Term Began	Term Ended	President of Kenya	Notes
1		Ngina Kenyatta	12 December 1964	22 August 1978	Jomo Kenyatta
2		Lena Moi	22 August 1978	30 December 2002	Daniel arap Moi	Lena Moi and her hsuband, Daniel arap Moi, separated in 1974,[3] but she is recognized as Kenya's second First Lady during his presidency..[1] Lena Moi died on 22 July 2004.[3][4]
3		Lucy Kibaki	30 December 2002	9 April 2013	Mwai Kibaki	In April 2016, former First Lady Lucy Kibaki died while undergoing treatment in London, United Kingdom.[5]
4		Margaret Kenyatta	9 April 2013	13 September 2022	Uhuru Kenyatta
5		Rachel Ruto	13 September 2022	Incumbent	William Ruto

See also

• President of Kenya