Kiraitu Murungi, he is a well-known politician in Meru and the entire country. Currently, he is serving as the board chair at National Oil Corporation, an office he ascended to in 2022 after the Meru county governor race defeat by Kawira Mwangaza
Kiraitu Age
Kiraitu Murungi was born on 1 January 1952 in Kionyo village, Abogeta West Ward, South Imenti Constituency of Meru County in Eastern Kenya. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel M’Mwarania.
Education.
Kiraitu attended primary education at Kionyo Primary School and later joined Chuka High School for secondary education. He later joined Alliance High School where he completed his A-Level examinations and scored 4 principals and 1 subsidiary.
Kiraitu Murungi Law Career.
He joined the faculty of Law at the University of Nairobi and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Law in 1977. He then proceeded to the Kenya School of Law from where he graduated in 1978 with an outstanding performance.
Murungi furthered his studies at the University of Nairobi where he enrolled for a Master’s of Law degree and graduated in 1982. While in exile, in 1990, he took a step further in his career and graduated with a second master’s degree in Law from Havard University.
Wife and Family.
Murungi has a wife, Priscilla Murungi with whom he has sired four children. The children are Mwenda, Anita, Makena, and Nkatha Murungi. He has a sister known as Betty Kaari Murungi who is married to Siaya Senator James Orengo.
Work and experience
He taught as a lecturer at Kenya School of Law from 1978 to 1980. Kiraitu founded a law firm along with his law colleagues Kuria Kamau, Kiraitu, and Ringera advocates.
Murungi has formerly served as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and as a shadow Attorney General in Former President Kibaki’s Government.
After the Government’s defeat in the 21 November 2005 constitutional referendum, he was appointed Minister of Energy, a position in which he served up to 2013.
During his time as minister, he initiated the rural electrification program which Saw many rural areas in Kenya receive electricity. During his tenure as the minister of energy, crude oil/petroleum was discovered in the Turkana Basin.
Kiraitu Murungi Political Career.
Kiraitu began his political career when he joined other opposition leaders in championing multiparty democracy in Kenya. In the 1992 general elections, he vied for the member of parliament for the south Imenti constituency and won.
He was re-elected into the MP’s office in the recurring elections until 2013 when he stepped down to vie for a senatorial seat. The 20-year period in which he served as an MP saw him complete several development projects.
Through his works, the Constituency was marked as the best-developed constituency in the county and got recognition countrywide.
He ascended into the office of the governor following the 2017 elections after beating his rival Peter Munya on the ballot. Before assuming the role of governor, he had served as Meru Senator from 2013 to 2017, a position he secured in the 2013 General Elections.
After ascending into the governor’s office in 2017, he envisioned a project dubbed Meru Youth Service to provide opportunities for young people in the county.
Kiraitu is said to be the only politician who has never lost an election since joining politics in 1992. He was among the leaders who pushed for Multi-party democracy along with opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Murungi has formerly served as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and as a shadow Attorney General in Former President Kibaki’s Government.
Kiraitu Murungi Book and Scholarly Works.
The veteran lawmaker is the author of three books: In the Mud of Politics, The Song of My Beloved, and the most recent, Beyond Politics: A Conversation with Kiraitu. It is through his many Scholarly and political accolades that he is referred to as the Kingpin of Meru and a political genius.
After being elected governor, Kiraitu’s stake in national government affairs was reduced. Being a governor, he has been tasked with ensuring that Meru County Government operations are running smoothly. Therefore, he ought to concentrate on his gubernatorial duties.
Currently, he is working on several development projects intending to fulfill his promises to the people of Meru dubbed `Making Meru Great`.
Kiraitu Murungi Businesses
Kiraitu has three known palatial houses, one in Nairobi, one in Nkubu-Meru, and the third one at his home location in Kionyo.
There is no reliable figure of Governor Kiraitu’s wealth at the time this article was written. However, it will be updated as soon as reliable information is sourced.
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