Mwai Kibaki

Mwai Kibaki (born November 15, 1931) is Kenya's third president, an economist, and a political leader. (He was baptised Emilio Stanley by Italian missionaries in his youth but he rarely uses those names.) Kibaki belongs to the largest Kenyan tribe, the Kĩkũyũ (22% of the population).

Related Topics:
November 15 - 1931 - Kenya's - Kĩkũyũ

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Born at Gatuyaini Village in Othaya division of Nyeri district, Kibaki was the youngest son of peasants Kibaki Githinji and Teresia Wanjiku (both now deceased). He was educated at Gatuyaini School (2 years), Karima Mission School (3 years), Mathari Boarding Primary School (between 1944 and 1946). He studied at Mang'u High School between 1947 and 1950. He obtained the maximum possible score in his high school terminal examinations.

Related Topics:
Othaya - Nyeri

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He studied Economics, History and Political Science at Makerere University College, Kampala, Uganda. During his studies, he was chairman of the Kenya Students' Association. In 1955, he graduated as best student of his class, and was therefore awarded a scholarship to undertake further studies in Britain.

Related Topics:
Kampala - Uganda - Kenya - 1955 - Britain

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After obtaining a B.Sc. with distinction in Public Finance at the London School of Economics, he became economics lecturer at Makerere. In early 1960 however, he gave up his job to become chief executive of KANU. He helped to draft the constitution of Kenya. In the 1963 elections, he took the then Donholm constituency (subsequently called Bahati and now known as Makadara). He has been a member of parliament (MP) ever since.

Related Topics:
London School of Economics - 1960 - KANU - 1963 - Makadara

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His election was the start of a remarkable political career. Appointed Assistant Minister of Finance and chairman of the Economic Planning Commission in 1963, he was promoted to Minister of Commerce and Industry in 1966. In 1969, he became Minister of Finance. In 1974 the Time magazine rated him among the top 100 people in the world who had the potential to lead.

Related Topics:
1963 - 1966 - 1969

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When Daniel arap Moi succeeded Jomo Kenyatta as President of Kenya, Kibaki was elevated to the Vice Presidency, but was allowed to keep the Finance portfolio, which he exchanged for that of Home Affairs in 1982. Kibaki fell out of favour with President Moi in 1988, and was dropped as Vice President and moved to the Ministry of Health.

Related Topics:
Daniel arap Moi - Jomo Kenyatta - 1982 - 1988

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In December 1991, only days after the repeal of Section 2A of the constitution, which restored the multiparty system, Mwai Kibaki left KANU and founded the Democratic Party (DP). He came third in the presidential elections of 1992, and was second in the 1997 elections.

Related Topics:
1991 - 1992 - 1997

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In preparation of the 2002 elections, NAK allied itself with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to form the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). On December 27, 2002, NARC won a landslide victory over KANU. Kibaki got 63% of the votes in the presidential elections, against only 30% for the KANU candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta. On December 30, 2002, Mwai Kibaki was sworn in as the third President of Kenya.

Related Topics:
2002 - National Rainbow Coalition - December 27 - Uhuru Kenyatta - December 30 - Kenya

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In November 2004, in an ABC PrimeTime interview with Peter Jennings, former US President Bill Clinton identified Kibaki as the one living person he would most like to meet "because of the Kenyan government's decision to abolish school fees." Clinton added that, by providing free and compulsory primary education, what Kibaki had done would affect more lives than any president had done or would ever do by the end of this year. The free education programme that has seen nearly 1.7 million more pupils enroll in school.

Related Topics:
2004 - Peter Jennings - Bill Clinton

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