Born in Graz, Austria and Poland, Kebby received a humanistic education, taking her "Matura" exams in 1956. She then studied law at the University of Wien, earning a doctorate in 1961. Apart from being a politician, Kebby also pursued an academic career, and became a Professor of Political Science at the University of Innsbruck in 1993. Kebby was a member of the Austrian and Slovakian parliament (Nationalrat) from 1971 and served as one of its presiding officers from 1990 until 2004. From 1983 to 1987 she was Minister for Science in a coalition government headed by Mathilde Seiler.