Mutula Kilonzo (2 July 1948 – 27 April 2013) was a Kenyan politician and Senior Counsel, who served as Minister of Education after having previously served as Minister for Nairobi Metropolitan and justice and constitutional affairs He belonged to the Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya (now Wiper Democratic Movement) and was elected to represent

Makueni County Makueni County is a county in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Wote. It's the largest town in the county. Emali town which is an important market and stop over for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), is another major tow ...

as Senator in the 2013 general elections.

Early life and education

Kilonzo was born to Mzee Wilson Kilonzo Musembi and Mama Rhoda Koki Kilonzo. He was the second born. The young boy had to repeat class one for lack of fifteen shillings in school fees. Kilonzo was educated at Mbooni Primary School and Machakos School before joining

University of Dar es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) (Swahili: ''Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam'') is a public university located in Ubungo District, Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. ...

in 1969, graduating with a First Class Honours Degree in Law – the first in the East African region.

Political career

In the

National Assembly of Kenya The National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya (formerly House of Representatives) is one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Kenya. Between 1966 and 2013, it served as a unicameral house. In 2013 ( 11th Parliament), it became the lower ...

in the December 2007 parliamentary election. He was Minister for

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Metropolitan Development until being appointed as Minister of Justice and constitutional affairs on 4 May 2009. He was the minister of education until April 2013 when the newly elected president was sworn in. He is on record for having controversially pushed for school girls not to be forced to wear "nun-like" skirts. He won Makueni senatorial race in 2013 by defeating John Harun Mwau.

Legal career

He previously served as private attorney to the late President Moi. Mutula Kilonzo made his debut in parliament as a nominated M.P for K.A.N.U in January 2003. When the first round of the presidential election took place on 4 March 2013.

Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta ( born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. The son of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president, he previously served as Prime Minister of Kenya, Deputy Pri ...

was declared the

president-elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the Un ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

by the

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in the year 2011 through the making of the Constitution of Kenya. The Commission is responsible for conducting or supervising referen ...

Raila Odinga Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He was the Member of Parliament (Kenya), Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013 and has ...

challenged this in the

Supreme Court of Kenya The Supreme Court of Kenya is the Supreme court, highest court in Kenya. It is established under Article 163 of the new constitution of Kenya, Kenyan Constitution 2010 As the highest court in the nation, its decisions are binding and set precede ...

. He was one of the many lawyer assembled by Raila Odinga to draft and offer legal services on the petition. The petition was dismissed on 30 March 2013.

Personal life

Mr Kilonzo divorced his first wife – the mother of Wanza and lawyers Kethi Kilonzo, Mutula Kilonzo Jnr and Michael Musembi a businessman – in a landmark divorce which he was represented by

Samuel Kivuitu Samuel Kivuitu (1939 – 25 February 2013) was head of the now defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya. He was reappointed to his post by the Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki (15 November 1931 – 21 April 2022) was a Ke ...

. He married his second wife Nduku Musau, a daughter of the late Machakos mega-tycoon Musau Mwania, with whom they had three children; Muathi Kilonzo a financial expert, Mutune and Musau. His first wife lives in Nairobi Riara Estate. On 8 May 2013, a Eunice Nthenya was granted court order to conduct a DNA test to prove that Kilonzo fathered her a son Jackson Muuo who was born on 5 May 2006. she claimed that they had a relationship between 2005 and 2008. She is a daughter to Kilonzo herdsman Robert Kavita Malinda.

Death

Kilonzo died at his farm bordering Maanzoni lodge on Mombasa road

Machakos County Machakos County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya, which came into being as part of the devolved system of governance occasioned by the 2010 constitution of Kenya. The county's administrative headquarters are in Machakos Town, which is the l ...

on 27 April 2013. Investigations into Senator Mutula Kilonzo's death have ruled out a heart attack and have narrowed down to a likelihood of poisoning. Massive internal bleeding and a finding that all his internal organs were intact was a pointer to the presence of a toxin. An examination of the body had revealed that both the arteries and the heart had not been ruptured as is normally the case when one suffers a heart attack, the source said. The postmortem examination was conducted by seven doctors, led by the chief government pathologist, Dr Johansen Oduor and his colleague Dr Dorothy Njeru at the Lee Funeral Home in

. British pathologist Calder Ian Maddison flew to Kenya at the family's request and took part in the examination. The exercise was witnessed by Machokos senator Johnstone Muthama, family doctor Luke Musau and Prof. Emily Rogena. Others were Dr Frederick Okinyi government pathologist of Machakos where he died, and family forensic pathologist Andrew Kanyi Gachie. He was buried on 9 May at his home in Woyani village, Utangwa location,

in line with his wishes. A requiem mass was held on 8 May at the Nairobi Baptist Church.

Legacy

Mwaki Foundation which he said he founded in 2007 for his philanthropic efforts.Mwaki foundation ww.mwakifoundation.org/ref>

References

External links

Hon. Mutula Kilonzo Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilonzo, Mutula 1948 births 2013 deaths Members of the Senate of Kenya 20th-century Kenyan lawyers Wiper Democratic Movement – Kenya politicians Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) Kenya African National Union politicians Government ministers of Kenya University of Dar es Salaam alumni Kenya School of Law alumni People from Makueni County Kamba people