Uhuru Kenyatta Biography
Uhuru Kenyatta is a Kenyan-born politician and businessman who is currently sitting as the fourth president of Kenya. There are lots of details that shocked me during my research on this profile. This is what I discovered about him.
Uhuru was born to his father, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of the Republic of Kenya. He was brought up in a wealthy and politically powerful Kikuyu family. He then joined St. Mary’s School in Nairobi where he held the position of a winger in the school’s rugby team. After leaving St. Marys, he flew to Amherst College in Massachusetts to study political science and economics.
After his return journey home, Muigai started his horticultural business making it a success after a short while. Furthermore, he was vested with some duties in the management of his family property.
Uhuru became politically active in the mid-’90s where in 1997, he became the chair of KANU (Kenya African National Union), the longest-ruling party that led his father to the presidency. Later on, he vied for a parliamentary seat but never succeeded. Despite his failure, Daniel Arap Moi, the then-president had him for mentorship. He was always ready to groom him for a greater role in the public service.
Moi further appointed him as the chair of the Kenya Tourist Board in 1999. A year later, Uhuru had yet another task as the chair of the Disaster Emergency Response Committee.
Uhuru’s political profile rose above the bars starting in October 2001 when he was nominated by President Moi to fill in as a Member of Parliament. A month later, he was elevated to the position of Cabinet Minister for local government.
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The same year, Uhuru was named the Kanu presidential candidate, a controversial move steered by President Moi. By that time, Moi was illegible for another term and so he wanted Kenyatta to succeed him. However, many people feared that Uhuru becoming the president would allow President Moi to have some influence on governance. This succession backfired and Uhuru became the leader of the opposition in the parliament.
In 2005, Kenyatta was elected the chairman of KANU. In the run-up to Kenya’s presidential seat in 2007, Uhuru gave it a try once more later withdrawing his candidacy in support of Mwai Kibaki. The re-election of Kibaki was against Raila Odinga and several other contestants. Kibaki then won narrowly defeating Odinga. The loss was not received well as it bought in a lot of controversies later leading to post-election violence.
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After the swearing-in, Kibaki appointed Uhuru Kenyatta as the minister for local government in January 2008. However, after a coalition government was formed, he was re-appointed as the deputy prime minister as well as the minister for trade. A year later, he was reshuffled to be the minister of finance.
In 2010, Uhuru was named by the International Criminal Court as one of the six suspects in the 2007 post-election violence. However, these allegations were declared null and void after he proved his innocence. He then left KANU to form his own party, The National Alliance (TNA). They then joined a coalition Jubilee Party which also included the URP (United Republic Party) of Dr. William Ruto.
The duo then vied as presidential candidates in the 2013 Kenyan presidential election later emerging winners. Uhuru was then first sworn as the president of Kenya on April 9, 2013. He served as the President of the Republic of Kenya for the first term (5 years) up to 2017. The duo again went for another term maps him to his current position, the President of Kenya.
Uhuru Kenyatta Age
How old is Uhuru Kenyatta? Uhuru is 61 years old as of October 2022. He was born Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta on October 26, 1961, in Gatundu, Kenya. In fact, he celebrates his birthday every year on the 26th October.
Uhuru Kenyatta Wife | Margaret Kenyatta
Uhuru is married to his humble wife, Margaret Gakuo Kenyatta since 1991. Together, they are blessed with three children; Jomo, Jaba, and Ngina.
Margaret is a Kenyan educator born on April 8, 1964, to her father Njuguna Gakuo, a former Director of the Kenya Railways Corporation. Elsewhere her mother Magdalena is of the German ancient. Furthermore, she holds a Bachelors’s degree in education from Kenyatta University.
Uhuru Kenyatta Children
Uhuru and Margaret are blessed with three beautiful and well-modeled children. Two sons; Jaba Kenyatta and Jomo Kenyatta and a daughter, Ngina Kenyatta.
Uhuru Kenyatta Family | Parents
Uhuru was born to his parents; Jomo Kenyatta (father) and Ngina Kenyatta (Mother). Jomo Kenyatta was the first president of the Republic of Kenya.
Uhuru Kenyatta Net Worth
Uhuru Kenyatta has an estimated Net Worth of $500 Million. This makes him the 26th richest man in Africa. As part of his revenue, Uhuru owns at least 500,000 acres of prime land across the country. This land was acquired by his late father during the colonial period.