Kenya's Lucy Gichuhi sworn in as senator in Australia

Kenyan-born Lucy Gichuhi is now a senator in Australia, one of the 12 representing the state of South Australia, after being sworn in on Tuesday.

Mrs Gichuhi makes history as the first person of African descent to make it to Australia’s federal Parliament.

BOB DAY

She will replacing Bob Day, a senator whose election was nullified by an Australian court in April.

Mr Day lost the seat after it was established that he was ineligible to vie in the July 2016 elections.

It was expected that Mrs Gichuhi, 54, would fly the flag of Family First, the party through which she secured her seat.

However, days before her swearing-in, the party merged with the Australian Conservatives and Mrs Gichuhi will now be in the Senate as an independent.

CITIZENSHIP

Mrs Gichuhi, who hails from Nyeri — also the home county of her husband William — moved to Australia with him in 1999 on a permanent resident’s visa.

They forfeited their Kenyan citizenship two years later.

Her win was confirmed by a court recently, shutting down questions about her citizenship.