Listen Robert Stanley Matano was the veteran coast politician whom President Daniel arap Moi used to re-engineer the moribund ruling party, KANU, into a well-oiled political machine. Matano had presided over what had been described as a “dead” party as Acting Secretary General for 13 years from 1966 to 1979, when he was confirmed to […]
Listen At a time when women in senior positions in the civil service were few and far between, Dr Sally Jepng’etich Kosgei not only reached the high glass ceiling but also shattered it to become an internationally respected diplomat, a politician and a Cabinet minister. She was the second woman to become a Permanent Secretary […]
Listen As the Minister for Information, Assistant Minister for Education and a Member of Parliament, Samuel Losuron Poghisio set himself apart as an avid debater and regular commentator on topical issues. As one of the most visible national leaders from the Pokot community, he was among the fortunate few who, in the 1960s and 1970s, […]
Listen Following the infamous August 1982 attempted coup, Raila Amolo Odinga was accused of complicity, charged with treason and subsequently detained for six years by President Daniel arap Moi’s government. A biography released in 2006, as Odinga was gearing up to contest the presidency in 2007, indicated that he was more involved in the attempted […]
Listen Save, diplomatic and easy-going; that’s how colleagues, friends and relatives describe Noah Katana Ngala, the first-born son of pre-independence nationalist leader, Ronald Ngala. In April 2002, a local daily newspaper, The Standard, once described the now septuagenarian Ngala thus: “… too cool for the rough and tumble of Kenyan politics – a man too […]
Listen The mixed fortunes of Professor Jonathan Kimetet arap Ng’eno dogged his footsteps right up to the end. A Cabinet minister in President Daniel arap Moi’s regime, he rose from oblivion, fell, rose again and fell yet another time, and eventually died aged 61 years while his mentor, Moi, was still working out his 24-year […]
Listen As a politician, Dr Protus Kebati Momanyi served two terms in the Kenya National Assembly from 1988 to 1997. During this time he was an assistant minister in two ministries and the Minister for Tourism and Wildlife. A quiet and unassuming engineer and politician, he is perhaps remembered for his famous defection from KANU […]
Listen Friends and Cabinet colleagues of Philip Masinde had a nickname for him — “Permanent Minister” for Labour in President Daniel arap Moi’s regime. Moi reshuffled his cabinets several times and for anyone to serve in the same ministry for the full five-year parliamentary term was remarkable. Masinde was appointed to Labour after the 1992 […]
Listen Those who know Peter Otieno Nyakiamo well have described him as a results-oriented workaholic, a stickler for time and a firm custodian of etiquette. He is a soft-spoken and private man whose 35-year career as a banker saw him rise to top management positions at Barclays, Kenya Commercial and NIC banks. He has also […]
Listen Nicholas Kipyator arap Biwott was at the epicentre of power during the 24 years that President Daniel arap Moi was in office. Referred to by many nicknames (Total Man, the Bull of Auckland, Mr Fix It, Karnet (steel), the man behind the throne, or simply the king in waiting), Biwott was widely acknowledged as […]