Professor
Kivutha Kibwana
1st Governor of Makueni County
In office
27 March 2013 – 25 August 2022
Member of the Kenyan Parliament
In office
2003–2007
Preceded byPeter Maundu
Succeeded byPeter Kiilu
ConstituencyMakueni
Personal details
Born (1954-06-13) 13 June 1954
Mwanyani, Nzaui District, Kenya Protectorate
Political partyMuungano Development Movement Party (MDM)
Alma materUniversity of Nairobi (LLB)
University of London (LLM)
George Washington University
ReligionChristian

Kivutha Kibwana (born June 13, 1954) is a Kenyan politician and human rights activist. He was Minister for Defence,[1] Minister for Environment[2] and a former member of parliament for the Makueni Constituency. He is also a former advisor to President Mwai Kibaki.[3] Prof. Kibwana's second term as the first Governor of Makueni County ended in 2022.[4]

Early life and education

Kibwana was born in 1954 in Mwanyani, a remote part located in Nzaui District, Makueni County.

He studied at Nduundune Primary School.[5] He later attended Machakos School (1969-1973) for his O’ and A’ Levels. He obtained a bachelor's degree in law (Upper Second Class Honours) from the University of Nairobi in 1976 and a Masters of Law. He also went to University of London and George Washington University. He graduated from Harvard University in June 1984.[6]

Career

He was the spokesperson of the National Convention Executive Council (NCEC) from 1997 to 2002. At the University of Nairobi, he also served as the Associate Professor (1977-2002), Dean of the Faculty of Law, a senior lecturer, and chairman of the Department of private law.

In 2002, he became a Member of Parliament for Makueni Constituency and Minister of both Land and Settlements and Environment & Natural Resources.

In January 2008, he was appointed as Presidential Advisor for Constitutional, Parliamentary & Youth Affairs in the President's Office and served until September 2012.[7]

Makueni County Governor

During the Kenyan general elections of 2013, Prof. Kibwana was elected as the first governor of Makueni County under the Muungano Development Movement Party which he was leading. Disagreements with majority of members of the Makueni County Assembly who belonged to the Wiper Democratic Movement Party had him consider resigning from the position of governor in the same year he was elected.[8] While Prof. Kibwana did not resign, a petition was filed to suspend Makueni County citing that the Kibwana-led executive and the assembly were operating at extreme levels of disagreement.[9] The sharp disagreements persisted to the extent that a commission appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta recommended the dissolution of the county government.[10] The commission's recommendation was overruled by President Kenyatta.[11]

In 2017, Professor Kibwana's Muungano party entered a pre-election pact with the Wiper Democratic Movement Party. Kibwana was appointed chairman of the Wiper Democratic Movement Party. Professor Kibwana was subsequently re-elected as Makueni Governor for a second term as Governor for Makueni County at the 2017 general elections. One year after being elected, Kibwana fell out with Kalonzo Musyoka, the Wiper Democratic Movement Party Leader.[12][13][14] This led to admonishment of Prof. Kibwana by other politicians belonging to the Wiper party.[15][16] The fall out culminated in an announcement by Kalonzo Musyoka that the agreement between Muungano Party and the Wiper Party had expired.[17] Prof. Kibwana also claimed that he would have been re-elected regardless of the pre-election pact with the Wiper party.[18] In July 2019, Prof. Kivutha was replaced[19] as Chairman of the Wiper party by Chirau Ali Mwakwere.

Performance as governor

In the final fiscal year of Prof. Kibwana's first term as governor, Makueni county registered an unspent development budget amounting to 1.5 Billion Kenya Shillings[20] (about 15 million US Dollars). A report of the Auditor General's Office for the subsequent fiscal year 2017/18 ranked Prof. Kibwana's Makueni Government alongside Nyandarua County Government as the best in the use of public funds.[21] This was the first fiscal year of Prof. Kibwana's second term as Makueni Governor. In early 2018, media reports depicted Prof. Kibwana as most well-performing of Kenya's 47 Governors.[22] The reports linked this to Makueni County's implementation of Universal Health Care and its support of agro-processing for the economic empowerment of farmers

2022 presidential ambition

Prof. Kibwana expressed interest in vying to be the 5th president of the Republic of Kenya in the 2022 general elections.[23][24][25] This is despite[26] views that he will be endorsing the candidacy of the incumbent deputy president Dr. William Samoei Arap Ruto. In an October 2019 interview, Prof. Kibwana showed hesitance in vying for the Presidency terming a presidential campaign so expensive that one has to have accumulated immense wealth to afford vying. He indicated that he would be willing to serve as a pro bono president if his basic needs were met.[27] Prof. Kibwana's presidential bid will be after serving a maximum of two five-year terms as Governor of Makueni County as per the Kenyan Constitution

References

  1. ↑ "Press release - New appointments". Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  2. ↑ "Official Visits from Kenya to Germany". Embassy of Kenya in Germany.
  3. ↑ "Kibaki aide quit to join politics". Capital FM. 4 September 2012.
  4. ↑ "List of Makueni County Governors". Kenyans Online.
  5. ↑ "Makueni County Governor". Soft Kenya.
  6. ↑ "Kibwana Kivutha". Poplt. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  7. ↑ "Governor". Government of Makueni County. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  8. ↑ "Anxiety as Kibwana ponders resignation". Daily Nation. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  9. ↑ "Petition for Suspension of the Government of Makueni County | Kenya Law". Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  10. ↑ Today, Business (14 April 2016). "Why tribunal wants Makueni County dissolved". Business Today Kenya. Retrieved 17 August 2019. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  11. ↑ Njagih, Moses. "Uhuru declines to disband Makueni County government". The Standard. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  12. ↑ Mutua, Paul. "No let-up in Kalonzo-Kibwana war". The Standard. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  13. ↑ Mutio, Agnes (23 May 2019). "Kibwana to Kalonzo: You have failed to deliver the presidency, support another candidate « Mauvoo News". Mauvoo News. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  14. ↑ Mutio, Agnes (28 May 2019). "Did Kibwana shoot himself on the foot by attacking Kalonzo « Mauvoo News". Mauvoo News. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  15. ↑ Mutio, Agnes (13 January 2019). "You are treading on a dangerous zone, Muthama warns Kibwana « Mauvoo News". Mauvoo News. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  16. ↑ Mwangangi, J. (5 January 2019). "We will not allow you to destroy Wiper Party, Kibwana warned « Mauvoo News". Mauvoo News. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  17. ↑ Mwangangi, J. (28 May 2019). "Kalonzo: Our Marriage with Kibwana's Muungano party is over « Mauvoo News". Mauvoo News. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  18. ↑ Mutio, Agnes (6 June 2019). "I would still have retained my seat even without wiper support, Governor Kibwana « Mauvoo News". Mauvoo News. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  19. ↑ Ng'etich, Jacob. "Wiper picks new chair as defiant Kibwana quits". The Standard. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  20. ↑ Mwangangi, J. (10 December 2018). "Makueni County failed to spend 1.5 Billion Shillings - Auditor General « Mauvoo News". Mauvoo News. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  21. ↑ "Ouko gives Kibwana, Kimemia rare top marks". Daily Nation. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  22. ↑ "Here's why Kivutha Kibwana is considered Kenya's best governor". Citizentv.co.ke.
  23. ↑ "Kibwana announces his 2022 bid for presidency". The Star.
  24. ↑ Mueni, Jemimah (20 August 2019). "I'm in the 2022 presidential race to stay – Governor Kibwana » Capital News". Capital News.
  25. ↑ "Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana declares interest in presidency". KTN News. KTN News.
  26. ↑ "Governor Kibwana remains in presidential race". Daily Nation.
  27. ↑ Chacha, Gardy. "Kivutha Kibwana: The unusual politician". The Standard.
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