Mwai Kibaki, Kenya’s third President, is a politician, a national figure and an African leader. Kibaki will go down in the books of many as the president who finally put Kenya on the path to economic recovery. When he was at the helm, the country was enjoying 7% economic growth prior to the notorious post-election violence of 2007.
Kibaki also played a key role in raising the country’s social standard of living. During his time as president, free basic education was introduced. You could write a whole book about the great man because there really is a lot to write about him. However, here’s a roundup of things you should know about the retiring president.
Mwai Kibaki Biography
Kibaki was born on November 15, 1931 in Gatuyaini Village, Othaya, Nyeri District. Born Mwai Kibaki, he is the youngest son of Kibaki Gathinji and Teresia Wanjiku, both Kikuyus. He was baptized Emilio Stanley by the Italian missionaries in his early teens but continued to use the name Mwai Kibaki for most of his life. The Kibaki family was a tobacco growing family. In fact, kibaki means tobacco in Kikuyu.
According to the available story, much of which remains oral, young Kibaki would never have gone to school had it not been for his much older brother-in-law’s insistence that the boy had to go to school. Since his family were farmers, Kibaki would have spent most of his childhood grazing his father’s ship and cattle. When he finally went to school, Kibaki turned out to be an exceptional student. He first attended the Gutayani School for two years, where he completed the so-called Sub-A and Sub-B courses (equivalent to standards 1 and 2). He later attended Karima Missionary School for three more years before transferring to Mathari School for grades 4, 5 and 6. During his time at Mathari (now Nyeri School) Kibaki practiced carpentry, masonry work and even worked as a conductor during the holidays. He attended Mangu Secondary School.
Kibaki joined Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda immediately after completing his secondary education with Mangu. He studied economics, history and political science. Again he proved his excellence at Makerere, graduating from the class of 1955 with honors in economics. Immediately after graduating, he accepted a position as Assistant Sales Manager in the Ugandan division of Shell Company East Africa.
Military career and political life
Kibaki wanted to join the army. In his final years in Mangu, he asked World War I and World War II veterans if he could join the military. Although his interest was genuine, his military ambition was cut short by the decision of Walter Coutts, the chief colonial secretary, who had excluded Kikuyus, Embus and Merus from the military. They remained just a dream.
Kibaki first entered politics in 1960 when, at the request of Raila Odinga’s father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, he resigned his position at Makerere, returned to Kenya and took up the position of Executive Officer in the Kenya African National Union (KANU). In this position he helped draft Kenya’s first constitution.
As an MP
Mwai Kibaki was elected MP for Donholm constituency in 1963. Donholm constituency in central Nairobi later became Bahati constituency and is currently Makadara constituency. This was likely the beginning of a long, successful political career for Kibaki. In the same year he was appointed Permanent Minister of Finance and later Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Finance. He was also chairman of the Economic Planning Commission. He was also Minister of Finance and Economic Planning from 1969 to 1982.
As Vice President
In 1974, the heat was feeling in Nairobi, and Kibaki considered seeking re-election to parliament in his city of Othaya. The parliamentary seat in Donholm was too hotly contested and he feared losing to a woman Jael Mbogo whom he had narrowly beaten in the 1969 election. He was then elected MP for Othaya in the 1974 election. That same year, Mwai Kibaki was voted among the top 100 with the potential to be led by the US government, according to Time magazine. He was MP for Othaya from 1974 to 2012.
Kibaki became Vice President of Kenya in 1978. He was the first vice president under President Moi. During his early tenure as vice president, he maintained his finance portfolio until Moi appointed him home secretary in 1982. Kibaki fell out with the president and was consequently relieved of the vice presidency in 1988. He later served under Moi as Minister of Health.
As opposition to KANU
Nobody expected that Mwai Kibaki, who had once said that trying to remove KANU from power is like cutting down a fig tree with a razor blade, and would one day become an opposition leader. However, Kibaki was one of the first to resign from KANU in 1991 in the wake of multi-party politics. Shortly after resigning, he formed the Democratic Party (DP) and ran as a candidate in the 1992 elections. Kibaki finished third in the polls behind Moi’s KANU and FORD. He also competed in 1997 and finished second to Moi.
As President
There was an uprising in KANU in 2002 that caused several leaders to quit the party to form the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Raila Odinga. That same year, Kibaki aligned with several political leaders to form the National Alliance Party of Kenya (NAK). LDP later merged with NAK to form the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). Kibaki was named the NARC presidential candidate on October 14, 2002, and later won the 2002 election, receiving over 62% of the vote. Kibaki was again crowned the winner in the contentious 2007 election.
Is Kibaki dead or alive? Family, Net Worth and Other Facts
Kibaki is a leader loved by many and his leadership style is revered across Africa. He completed his constitutional 2 term in 2012 and currently resides in Nairobi with his family. Many had speculated about his death following his recent ailments and health complications, but he is still very much alive. However, he has retired from the limelight and is currently enjoying the company of his family, particularly his grandchildren.
Mwai Kibaki speaks about his family and has four children – three sons and a daughter – with his late wife Lucy Muthoni. They married in 1961 and were married until Lucy died in 2016. Their children are Judy Wanjiku, Jimmy Kibaki, David Kagai and Tony Githinji. They have lived long enough to see their grandchildren as well and they have four of them – Joy Jamie Marie, Mwai Junior and Krystinaa Muthoni.
Mwai Kibaki’s net worth is estimated to be around $ 50 million . The source of his wealth is politicsI was in and around Kenyan politics for 53 years (1960 – 2013), reaching the pinnacle of power as the elected President of Kenya for two consecutive terms.
Did you know that:
- His full name is Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki and he enjoys playing golf
- Kibaki is one of the richest men in Kenya. His business interests include agriculture, hotels and insurance.
- Although Kibaki’s rise in politics can be attributed to the Kenya African National Union (KANU), he later became a strong opposition to the party.