6 things to know about Kemi Badenoch, the Nigerian in Boris Johnson’s cabinet

Kemi Badenoch

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed a Nigerian woman, Kemi Badenoch, into his cabinet last Saturday.

Mrs Badenoch was named the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, an equivalent of a junior minister.

She tweeted on Monday saying she was ‘humbled’ to have been appointed and was looking forward to making ‘a positive difference’.

Below are six things to know about her

  1. Badenoch was born Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke in January 1980 in Wimbledon, London to parents of Nigerian origin.

2. She spent her childhood in Lagos and the United States before moving to the United Kingdom at age 16.

3. She joined the Conservative Party in 2005 at the age of 25.

4. Badenoch was first elected into the parliament on June 8, 2017. She is also the first woman to represent that constituency.

5. She got married to Hamish Badenoch in 2012. They have two children together – a boy and a girl.

6. She represents Saffron Walden constituency at the UK Parliament.