You can always tell when something is done whole-heartedly and when one is just doing it for PR or because they ‘have to’. First Lady of Kenya, Margaret Kenyatta has proved that she’s committed to bettering the lives of mothers and children across the country and ensuring that neither of them die during child birth.
At her age, the ever graceful First Lady has led the country in running a marathon just to better the lives of those she is committed to.
However, the First Lady’s Half Marathon was last year cancelled when the First Lady said there was politicisation of her maternal health campaign.
“I was preparing to celebrate with Kenyans to say thank you for running with me and for supporting Beyond Zero. You have all made a huge difference to the lives of thousands of women, men and children, in our great nation. However, I have never been willing to politicize this agenda. As a consequence, I feel it necessary to cancel the First Lady’s Half Marathon this year,” her statement read in part.
Most people wonder why the First Lady Margaret Kenyatta is so passionate about her Beyond Zero campaign. Well, it’s not just a PR campaign to make her husband, President Uhuru Kenyatta look good. The sad truth is that the First couple lost a child during birth some 20 years ago.
The second-born baby girl after Jomo Kenyatta died immediately she was born. This explains her deep passion to help mothers during child birth so that they do not go through the same kind of pain she went through when she lost her child.
Here are a few photos that prove that Mrs. Kenyatta is passionate about maternal and children’s health and absolutely loves children.
The Beyond Zero campaign by the First Lady seeks to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates in the country. The First Lady today relaunched the First Lady’s Half Marathon to see it become the Beyond Zero Half Marathon, a campaign that is aimed at creating awareness and raising funds to tackle issues that affect maternal and childbirth issues as well as mother to child transmission of HIV.
The Beyond Zero campaign will now also focus on neglected health challenges including adolescent health, repair and integration of women living with obstetric fistula and social inclusion of children living with disability.