MUTAHI KAGWE: MICHUKI’S SON-IN-LAW WHO HAS SERVED UNDER THREE SUCCESSIVE PRESIDENTS AS A MINISTER!
MUTAHI KAGWE: MICHUKI’S SON-IN-LAW WHO HAS SERVED UNDER THREE SUCCESSIVE PRESIDENTS AS A MINISTER!
Hon. Mutahi Kagwe must be a lucky man. In a country where Cabinet appointments can come and go with every change of government, this man has managed to serve three successive Presidents as a Minister.
Born in 1958, Kagwe began his early education at Kìhate Primary School, where he studied from 1965 to 1971. He later joined Kagumo High School in 1972 and remained there until 1977, pursuing his O Levels and A Levels.
From there, he proceeded to the University of Nairobi, where he studied from 1978 to 1981 and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Insurance. But the man was not done collecting academic qualifications. Between 1988 and 1992, he pursued further studies at the United States International University, graduating with an MBA.
In 1987, he married Ann Wanjiku, the daughter of the late Michuki. Together, they have been blessed with four children. One of their children, Mutahi Kagwe, popularly known as Kahush, is a musician.
Kagwe first entered Cabinet in 2005 when President Mwai Kibaki appointed him Minister in charge of ICT. Interestingly, he served in the same Cabinet as his father-in-law, Hon. John Michuki. Imagine attending Cabinet meetings with your father-in-law…
After Kibaki left power, Kagwe tried his luck in elective politics. He vied for the Nyeri Senate seat and won, becoming the first Senator of Nyeri. However, his political fortunes took a different turn in 2017 when he lost the gubernatorial race.
But if there is one thing about Kagwe, it is that his political journey was far from over.
In February 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him Cabinet Secretary for Health, right in the middle of the CORONA epidemic. This was the period when Kagwe became a household name, thanks to his frequent press conferences updating Kenyans on the pandemic. Suddenly, a man many Kenyans had known mainly through politics became a familiar face on television screens across the country.
Then came President William Ruto, who, after assuming power, appointed Kagwe Minister of Agriculture in 2024.
From Kibaki to Uhuru to Ruto… three successive Presidents, three different administrations, and Mutahi Kagwe still finding his way back to the Cabinet!
Is this political luck, experience, or does Michuki’s son-in-law have a Cabinet appointment formula the rest of us don’t know about?
