British Prime Minister Theresa May visited Kenya on Thursday, breaking a 30-year old record since a leader of her caliber from the UK visited the country.
Her predecessor, David Cameron was expected to visit Kenya in 2016 but, he unexpectedly resigned. This, effectively ushered May – the Conservative Party leader into office.
But, who is May the second female British Prime Minister?
She was born in Brasier, the UK on October 1, 1956, and is a graduate of the renowned University of Oxford according to Wikipedia.
Before venturing into politics, she worked at the Bank of England between 1977 and 1983 before moving to the Association for Payment Clearing Services as a financial consultant and senior advisor in International Affairs.
In 1997, May, now 61, was selected as the Conservative candidate for Maidenhead, a seat which she won and secured her place in the UK Parliament.
All through to 2010, she served in different ministries including the Transport, Education, State for Work and Pensions, State for Culture, Media and Sports ministries as a Shadow Secretary.
However, her influence on UK’s politics took reign after she was appointed the Home Secretary on May 6, 2010. Her authority as the Home Secretary was felt by Kenyans in 2013 after she imposed a ban on miraa/khat – a stimulant plant that has since been classified as a Class C drug in Britain.
Her ban of the stimulant went against the advice of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) which condemned the ban citing that there was insufficient evidence indicating miraa caused health problems.
In defense of her action, the Downing Street said as reported by the Evening Standard “The decision to bring khat under control is finely balanced and takes into account the expert scientific advice and these broader concerns.”
She further opined that the stimulant has been banned by other European countries and also Canada and the US.
With the ban, over miraa 500,000 farmers in Kenya were left counting losses. About 2,560 tonnes of the stimulant were being imported into the UK every year.