Listen John Cheruiyot, a former Cooperative Minister, was among the people who benefitted from the infamous mlolongo (queuing) method that was used to elect leaders during the 1988 general election. Unknown to many even to people of Aldai Constituency before, Cheruiyot became the minister after his Tindiret counterpart was sacked hardly nine months into his […]
Listen John Henry Okwanyo was one of the longest-serving Members of Parliament for Migori in Nyanza region. He was also a close friend and point man of President Daniel arap Moi whom he served with total loyalty as a friend, confidant and Cabinet minister for decades. The no-nonsense minister is best remembered for his anti-majimbo […]
Listen Deputy Public Prosecutor James Boro Karugu was a long-serving and loyal senior officer in the Attorney General’s chambers. He was the first choice of his long-serving boss, Charles Mugane Njonjo, to succeed him once he left office to enter politics and become the Member of Parliament for Kikuyu. Njonjo did not have the powers […]
Listen In 1964, President Jomo Kenyatta convened a meeting in Nakuru to convince the large-scale settler farmers not to flee the country but instead stay and help develop the economy of the young nation. With him was James Samuel Gichuru, a Cabinet minister. Jeremiah Kiereini in his book, A Daunting Journey wrote, “James Gichuru was […]
Listen James Nyamweya was a politician and pioneer lawyer who served as MP for Nyaribari (before it was split into Nyaribari Chache and Nyaribari Masaba), as well as an influential Cabinet minister in different ministries in President Jomo Kenyatta’s government. Under President Daniel arap Moi, he headed the Elections and Boundaries Commission briefly ahead of […]
Listen Growing up, James Njagi Njiru’s acquaintance with the world outside of the place where he was born was minimal. But not even dropping out of school after getting his primary certificate could deter him from joining elective politics – he decided to vie for the Kirinyaga West parliamentary seat to become the constituency’s second […]
Listen Jackson Kimeu Mulinge was one of the most respected personalities in the Ukambani region. Before joining politics he had a successful career as Kenya’s top soldier, rising from a private in the colonial army to the pinnacle of the country’s military service as the Chief of General Staff (today referred to as Chief of […]
Listen Little is known about Gilbert Kabeere M’Mbijjewe although many may remember his trademark pipe. He was among the few Kenyan politicians whose appointment to the Cabinet was because of his impressive career as a civil servant and as a corporate executive. As a minister in President Daniel arap Moi’s administration, M’Mbijjewe had a quiet […]
Listen For a decade from 1969, Isaac Omolo Okero’s name was synonymous with national politics as a powerful government official and National Assembly representative. Omolo Okero, as he was more commonly known, proved to be a smart and perceptive politician who knew how to manoeuvre his way around the political labyrinth. But his principled leadership […]
Listen Among the youthful and energetic politicians tasked with warding off opposition to the dominant KANU party in the Rift Valley region was Isaac Kiprono Ruto, who was Minister for Vocational Training towards the end of President Daniel arap Moi’s tenure in 2002. He was 34 years old when he was appointed to the Cabinet. […]