Mary Wambui

Mary Wambui is a Kenyan businesswoman and the second wife of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.[1] The Wambui family claim that Mwai married Mary in 1972 under Kikuyu customary law and have a daughter, Wangui Mwai.

In 2004 the media reported that Kibaki has a second spouse allegedly married under customary law, Mary Wambui, and a daughter, Wangui Mwai. After the news broke, the State House released an unsigned statement that Kibaki's only immediate family is his wife, Lucy and their four children.[2] The Washington Post termed the entire scandal as a "new Kenyan soap opera".[3] In 2009, Kibaki, accompanied by a furious Lucy Kibaki, held a press conference to re-state to the world that he only has one wife.[4] Although officially denied status as a wife, Wambui is provided with all the trappings of a presidential spouse including armed bodyguards and limousines.

In an interview with The Standard written on April 5, 2007, Winnie said that she and Artur Margaryan, a suspected mercenary from Armenia, intended to marry in the future. In Kenyan media, Mary Wambui is often described as "NARC-activist". (National Rainbow Coalition), a Kenyan political party.

At a recent interview with the media in Kenya, Wambui said that she had five children but was reluctant to disclose their names.

References

  1. ^ Wax, Emily. "New Kenyan Soap Opera: The President's Two Wives." The Washington Post 30 Jan. 2004: A01. The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A61727-2004Jan29?language=printer>.
  2. ^ I'm no polygamist - Kibaki News24
  3. ^ New Kenyan Soap Opera: The President's Two Wives Washington Post
  4. ^ "Kibaki: I have only one wife". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSlTW8mjirs. Retrieved 2010-06-01.