Listen Popularly known as ‘ZK’ by his supporters, Zakayo Kipkemoi Cheruiyot was one of the most powerful figures in President Daniel arap Moi’s government where he served as Permanent Secretary (PS) for Provincial Administration and Internal Security between 1997 and 2003. A highly secretive and media-shy person, Zakayo Cheruiyot was a close confidant and a […]
Listen Zachary Theodore Onyonka was born on 28 June 1939 in Meru District where his father, Godrico Oeri Mairura, was a policeman. Onyonka was the second child of Oeri and Kerobina Kebati. The family moved to Kisii District after his father resigned from the police force to join the Provincial Administration as an Assistant Chief. […]
Listen Yusuf Waruru Kanja is one politician who never shied away from controversy. An ardent critic of general corruption in Kenya, he was known to stick to his convictions even to the extent of risking career and friendship. A case in point: When Robert Ouko, the Foreign Affairs Minister, was assassinated in February 1990, Kanja […]
Listen It was in 2002, at the tail end of President Moi’s regime, that Mohammed Yusuf Haji became a Cabinet minister. Until then he was a career civil servant who had worked in the provincial administration for three decades. As he was considering a much-deserved retirement, Moi plunged him into politics by nominating him as […]
Listen Winfred Nyiva Mwendwa made history when she was appointed by President Daniel arap Moi as Kenya’s first female Cabinet Minister in 1992. She served as Minister for Culture and Social Services. The widow of Kenya’s first African Chief Justice, Kitili Maluki Mwendwa, the accomplished politician, now in her late 70s, has scored many firsts […]
Listen Once, faced with a question by an international journalist, William Ronkorua ole Ntimama thundered: “In Africa, you need some level of regimentation to be able to lead; that’s what Africans understand!” And the straight-talking, self-styled champion of Maasai community rights wasn’t apologetic at all. Ntimama, who died in September 2016, was definitely a force […]
Listen William Odongo Omamo will go down in history as a smooth operator, one of the few Cabinet ministers who served in the first and second governments as a Member of Parliament in an opposition zone. Like his nickname, Kaliech (like an elephant), Omamo’s contribution to Kenya’s political landscape was gigantic. On top of this, […]
Listen As a boy, William Kipchirchir Samoei arap Ruto hawked chickens to truck drivers along the Great North Road. Today, he owns thousands of imported chickens from which he collects more than 2,500 eggs a day. The self-proclaimed ‘hustler’ who once called a mud-walled house home, today lives in a multi-million shilling mansion complete with […]
Listen William Cheruiyot Morogo’s Cabinet colleagues talk about a gentleman who got along with colleagues as well as backbenchers in the House. “He respected all and never promised what he couldn’t do,” recalled Stephen ole Ntutu, a former Minister for Tourism, while Philip Chebogel, a friend and former classmate, said, “He was a humble man […]
Listen The saying that an old man sitting on a three-legged stool sees much farther than a young man standing on his feet, best describes the vision of Kenya’s second President, Daniel arap Moi. While most may have given up on Uhuru Kenyatta’s political career when he was beaten by rookie politician Moses Muihia in […]