Mwai Kibaki Early Life
Mwai Kibaki, officially known as Stanley Emilio Mwai Kibaki was the 3rd President of the Republic of Kenya. He is the youngest son of Teresia Wanjiku (Mother) and Kibaki Githinji (Father), a family of peasant farmers living from hand to mouth.
Born in 1931on 15 November, the former head of state has eight siblings. He comes from the vast Kikuyu tribe in Kenya and lived in Gatuyaini village, Nyeri County.
In his early and later years of growth, Kibaki exhibited incredible aptitude and intelligence for acquiring formal education all the way from the primary level to the University.
- He is a catholic faithful.
- Today, he is 86 years old.
Mwai Kibaki Family
Kibaki got married after finishing his education and at a prime age in 1962 to Lucy Mothoni Kibaki. The couple was blessed with four children, three sons, David, Jimmy, and Tony and one daughter, Judy.
In the course of 2002 presidential election campaign, he got a life threatening injury caused by a car crash. As a result, he took long using a wheelchair for the rest of the campaign period and even after he clinched the top seat.
During this hard moment, Kibaki did the unthinkable. He openly denied before the media claims that he had a second marriage. By his standard as the head of state, no one could believe it was necessary for him to wash his dirty linen in the public.
By then, questions were being raised regarding the president’s relations with a Kenyan businesswoman with leanings to politics, Mary Wambui.
According to the sources, it was alleged that Kibaki sired a daughter with this prominent lady.
This news came as a surprise to many Kenyans because given his position as the head of state and also as an African man, nobody expected him to publically discuss his marital life.
There is a proverb that says, “Where there is smoke, there is fire”.
Whether story about Kibaki’s second family was true or not, none other than the former head of state can tell.
However, one thing was crystal clear about this saga. Following the government security accorded to this woman and the kind of protection and favors her daughter got from the state machinery, it was evident that the marriage allegations were true.
Mwai Kibaki Education Profile
Between 1947 and 1950, Kibaki attended the prestigious Man’gu High School for his ‘O’ levels, emerging top of his class in the final year.
His exemplary academic performance at ‘A’ levels earned him a full education scholarship to study History, economics, and political science at Kenya’s distinguished Makerere University.
His leadership skills manifested when he was elected to the leading position of the Kenya Students Association as Chairman, in the Makerere Students Guild. The brilliant Kibaki graduated from the University in 1955 with distinction.
Thereafter, was shortly employed as an assistant general manager at Uganda Shell Company before getting another learning scholarship to pursue further studies at the London School of Economics. He graduated at this higher institution of learning with a Master’s degree in public finance and economics.
Mwai Kibaki Professional Career
Other than briefly taking over the job of an assistant general manager at Uganda Shell Company, Kibaki accepted an economics Assistant Lecturer position at Makerere University when he returned from his studies abroad.
He did not work there for long because in 1960, he quit from this position to pursue his political dream. Upon resigning, he joined the then dominant political party in Kenya, Kenyan African National Union (KANU).
He actively got involved in sweeping changes in the country after entering the world of politics largely contributing to Kenya’s independence three years later from Britain. This firmly took into politics.
He was first elected into Kenyan Parliament as a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1963 and thereafter, took over different roles in government for many years as a constituency representative for Nyeri.
His knowledge and skills as well as role in politics earned him appointed by the late first President of Kenya, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta to lead the lucrative Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning as a Minister in 1969.
This position helped him to establish a good record and reputation and also acquire valuable experience for himself in those early years he was in government and politics.
The sudden demise of Mzee Kenyatta led to Daniel arap Moi, his vice president to take over the instruments of power as the second president of Kenya in 1978. This process was described by many political analysts say was a smooth succession from one regime to the next.
In the same year, Moi appointed Kibaki as his Vice-President. In Moi’s government, the former Makerere lecturer was first entrusted with the portfolio of Finance portfolio, a position he used to bring many changes and measures that contributed to some degree of Kenya’s prosperity.
In 1982, he was appointed to lead the Home Affairs portfolio.
But, with time, Moi adopted an autocratic leadership style leading to the amendment of the KANU constitution, making the country a one party state and KANU becoming the only legitimate political party in Kenya.
With all powers vested in him, Moi removed Kibaki from the vice presidency in 1988 and subsequently demoted him to a Minister in charge of the Ministry of Health.
This event led to more disagreements and disputes between Moi and Kibaki and in 1991. Mwai Kibaki threw in the towel and left the government and KANU to the ‘Democratic Party’, a vehicle he used after joining the opposition.
This time was, in fact, the right time for him since the country was experiencing civil and political unrest from all corners demanding for amendment of the Kenyan Constitution to restore multi-party political system in the country.
Bowing in to the pressure of the fierce opposition, Moi agreed to repeal the constitutional on one-party rule to introduce multiparty.
Mwai Kibaki Political Experience
Kibaki and other prominent politicians like Raila Odinga tried unsuccessfully to unseat Moi in both the 1992 and 1997 presidential elections leading to his retirement after two terms since the amendment of the political act in 2001.
To survive this political storm, Moi played ethnically violent and divisive kind of politics and held onto power to the 2002 presidential elections.
As a result, there was several ethnic affiliations and upheaval in the background seeking representation, a factor that led other leaders to for the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). He used the new party as his political vehicle in the 2002.
The fallout in KANU after Moi single handedly chose Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of the first president of Kenya to succeed him was a blessing in disguise.
All prominent people in KANU including the late George Soitoti decamped the Moi political camp to join the opposition.
That led to the formation of a vibrant and unstoppable opposition that handed Kibaki the presidency in the 2002 presidential elections.
In his first term, he made significant positive changes in nearly all sectors, particularly in the infrastructure sector.
However, the issue of corruption, the platform on which Kibaki used to gain power was not implemented as expected. That led to disagreements and disputes leading to a division in government.
Another issue at fore was formulation and implementation of a new constitution.
In 2007, Kibaki won his second term in office.
However, the opposition and many Kenya with different political affiliations other than his felt their candidate, Raila Odinga had been rigged out. This led to the 2007 post-election violence that led to the formation of the grand coalition government.
After the presidential elections held in 2013, Kibaki handed the presidency to the winner, Uhuru Kenyatta.
Mwai Kibaki Wealth
Kibaki is rich by all standards and measure. Although he was brought up in a poor family, his desire to get education to the highest point and subsequent employment in the government in top positions created more economic opportunities for him.
He rapped shoulders with the mighty in both the domestic and foreign economic circles.
His long service in government coupled with his profession as an economist was also a plus and a breakthrough to amassing more wealth for himself and his family.
Mwai Kibaki Net Worth
Sources close to Kibaki and his family estimate his wealth to be $50 Million in the past one financial year.
He has commercial interest in nearly all economic sectors including the real estate, hospitality, agriculture, and tourism just to name a few.
Mwai Kibaki Major Achievements
Unlike his predecessors who served under the old constitution and misused their power to gag the media freedom and human rights of Kenyan citizens, Kibaki is fondly remembered for restoring freedom of speech in the country. He seldom used state machinery to torture and contain his critics.
He is also remembered for overseeing the process of constitutional reforms and its subsequent promulgation in 2010.
After many years of political struggle for a new constitution that saw many people lose their lives under the Moi regime, it was under his government that Kenyans finally had the long awaited new Constitution.
Another area that he performed extremely well in the infrastructure sector. During his first and second term in office, Kibaki developed and implemented a master plan on reviving the dilapidated infrastructure in the country, particularly roads and connection of electrify. He built the famous Thika highway, the first one in the history of Kenya.
The free primary education was also introduced in his first term as the president of Kenya. This initiative saw many children and adults get enrolled in the primary school, leading to an increase in the number of Kenyans to access formal learning.
Kibaki, in general, is remembered for reviving the collapsed Kenyan economy when he took over power from Moi.
