List of government posts that Kibaki held in his lifetime
Written by Inka FM on 22 April 2022
Kenya’s third President Mwai Kibaki died aged 90, as announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, April 22, 2022.
President Kenyatta termed the late Kibaki as “a gentleman in Kenyan politics and a brilliant debater” during his service in government.
“We remember the values by which he lived, the ideals he embraced, his dignity and diligence, his candour and concern for the well-being of all Kenyans. His contributions as minister of finance and the vice president saw Kenya’s economy grow steadily fuelled by a commodities boom as well as fiscal and monetary policies that were the backbone of his economic philosophy,” President Kenyatta said on Friday.
Kibaki studied Economics, History and Political Science at Makerere University College, Kampala, Uganda, where he graduated in 1955 as the best student in his class. He was awarded a scholarship for further studies in the United Kingdom, obtaining a bachelor of science with distinction in Public Finance at the London School of Economics.
He came back to work as an economics lecturer at Makerere, before resigning to join the Kenya African National Union (KANU) in 1960 as an executive officer.
He was among the masterminds who drafted Kenya’s first constitution before the state gained independence in 1963.
Member of Parliament
In the 1963 elections, he won as the Member of Parliament for Donholm Constituency (whose name was changed to Bahati, now known as Makadara) in Nairobi. On top of other government offices he has held in his lifetime, Kibaki served as an MP until he retired from active politics in 2013.
Ministerial jobs
Soon after clinching the Donholm seat, he was appointed the Assistant Minister of Finance and chairman of the Economic Planning Commission, before getting promoted to the post of Minister of Commerce and Industry in 1966.
Being a government and KANU loyalist, Kibaki was appointed the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning in 1969, a post he held until 1978 when Kenya’s founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta died.
Before 1978, he moved to represent his home constituency in 1974, when he became the MP for Othaya Constituency. He represented the constituency until his retirement.
Vice President
After Daniel Arap Moi, Kenyatta’s Vice President ascended to Presidency, Kibaki was appointed the Vice President as well as the Minister for Finance until 1982, when he started falling out with Moi. As a result, the finance docket was taken away from him in exchange for the Ministry for Home Affairs.
In 1988, the fallout became evident after he was dropped as Vice President and moved to the Ministry of Health.
Kibaki left government in 1991 and formed the Democratic Party (DP) after the restoration of multipartyism, in preparation for the 1992 elections. He vied for Presidency where he came third.
Opposition leader
In the subsequent elections of 1997, Kibaki came second, making him the official opposition leader, with his party, DP, becoming the official opposition party.
President
He contested for Presidency in 2002, defeating Moi’s preferred candidate Uhuru Kenyatta, to become Kenya’s third President.
In the 2007 General Elections, Kibaki controversially won the elections and was sworn in at dusk, something that dented his time in government, following the post-election violence that followed.
Kibaki retired in April 2013, after serving for two terms as the President.
