Africa

Kenya: Former first lady dies in London hospital

Associated Press
Published | Updated

FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007 file photo, Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki, left, and his wife Lucy Kibaki, right, wave to supporters after the President presented his nomination papers to the Electroral Commission in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya announced Tuesday, April 26, 2016 that former Kenyan first lady Lucy Kibaki, prominent for charities and her quick temper, has died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in London. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007 file photo, Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki, left, and First Lady Lucy Kibaki, right, chat as they watch a parade during Independence Day Celebrations at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya announced Tuesday, April 26, 2016 that former Kenyan first lady Lucy Kibaki, prominent for charities and her quick temper, has died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in London. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi, File) (The Associated Press)

Former Kenyan first lady Lucy Kibaki, prominent for charities and her quick temper, has died.

President Uhuru Kenyatta announced Tuesday that Kibaki, 76, who was affectionately referred to as "Mama Lucy," died while undergoing treatment at the Bupa Cromwell Hospital in London. The statement did not say what Kibaki was suffering from but she had been checked into hospital earlier this year, in what the family said was a routine check-up. She was married to Kenya's third President Mwai Kibaki

Kenyatta paid tribute to Kibaki's commitment to improving the lives of Kenyans and fighting AIDS. Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga also paid tribute to the former first lady.