Mary Wambui

Mary Wambui is a Kenyan businesswoman and politician. She succeeded former president Mwai Kibaki as the member of parliament for Othaya. She is allegedly Kibaki's second wife.[1] The Wambui family claim that Mwai married Mary in 1972 under Kikuyu customary law and have a daughter, Wangui Mwai.

Mary Wambui
Member of the Kenyan Parliament
Assumed office
28 March 2013
Preceded byMwai Kibaki
ConstituencyOthaya
Majority16,285 (37.6%)
Personal details
NationalityKenyan
Political partyTNA
ChildrenWangui 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. Before she joined parliament, Mary Wambui was often described as a National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) activist and later as "The National Alliance activist" when she switched loyalties.

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. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A61727-2004Jan29?language=printer>.
  2. I'm no polygamist - Kibaki Archived 2009-03-09 at the Wayback Machine News24
  3. New Kenyan Soap Opera: The President's Two Wives Washington Post
  4. "Kibaki: I have only one wife". YouTube. Retrieved 2010-06-01.


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