Kabbah was born on 17 March 1933 in Gbap, Bonthe District, to ethnic Sherbro parents in the Southern Province of British Sierra Leone.

She joined her husband in Lesotho, where she commenced the practice of law in the chambers of the distinguished jurist; she was the sole female attorney in the entire country.

The family moved to New York City in 1981 where Mrs Kabbah obtained a Political Affairs Research appointment at the De-colonization Committee of the United Nations.

She was later promoted as Head of the Executive Office, Department of Political Affairs, De-colonization of Trusteeship, with special responsibility for Budget, Personnel and General Administration.

During that time she and other lawyers Isha Dyfan and Yasmin Jusu-Sheriff and the Mano River Women's Peace Network worked to ensure that the wider international community were aware of the abuses that were taking place in Sierra Leone.

[3] She endeavoured to use her skills as a lawyer and administrator to work with her husband but was again rebuffed by members of the male-dominated Sierra Leone People's Party who believed that the role of First Lady should remain largely symbolic.