Peter Mutuku Mathuki (born 20 February 1969) is a Kenyan

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

, private sector development expert, and former

Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

of the

East African Community The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation in East Africa. The EAC's membership consists of eight states: Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, S ...

who currently holds the position as Ambassador of

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. ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. He previously served as the 6th Secretary-General of the EAC from 27 February 2021 to June 7 2024, an MP in the

East African Legislative Assembly The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is a sub-organ of the larger East African Community, being the legislative arm of the Community. Members are sworn into five-year terms. History Since colonial times, a number of organizations have ...

between 2012 and 2017, and the CEO of the East African Business Council from 2018 to 2021.

Background and education

Mathuki holds a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

(MBA), and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in

Strategic Management In the field of management, strategic management involves the formulation and implementation of the major goals and initiatives taken by an organization's managers on behalf of stakeholders, based on consideration of Resource management, resources ...

and

Regional Integration Regional Integration is a process in which neighboring countries enter into an agreement in order to upgrade cooperation through common institutions and rules. The objectives of the agreement could range from economic to political to envir ...

from the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...

Career

Dr. Mathuki was the Director in charge of International Labour Standards at the

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) was an international trade union. It came into being on 7 December 1949 following a split within the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), and was dissolved on 31 October 2006 whe ...

between 2004 and 2008. He worked at the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

programs for Africa based in

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera (), is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region (Eritrea), Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the List of capital cities by altitude, sixth highest capital in the wo ...

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

from 2010 to 2012.

EAC

Between 2012 and 2017, Dr. Mathuki served as the Member of Parliament of the East African Legislative Assembly where he chaired the EALA Committee responsible for good governance and served on the Committee of Trade and Investment. Following his term in Parliament, he served as the executive director of the East African Business Council between 2018 and 2021. Here he advocated the voice of the private sector in East African Community decision-making processes and advocating for a conducive business environment for increased trade and investment in the bloc. Dr. Mathuki was recommended by Kenyan president

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 ...

for the position of Secretary-General of the East African Community, following the tenure of former EAC Secretary-General Libérat Mfumukeko. Dr. Mathuki was appointed to the position by the East African Community Heads of State on 27 February 2021. He assumed office on 25 April 2021, with his term set to end in 2026. As Secretary-General, Dr. Mathuki played a pivotal role in overseeing the coming into effect of the

African Continental Free Trade Area The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a free trade area encompassing most of Africa. It was established in 2018 by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, which has 43 parties and another 11 signatories, making it the large ...

and championed the formation of the African Business Council to reposition the EAC bloc to reap the benefits availed by the continental market. Under his stewardship, the EAC saw the accession of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

and

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

to the community, expanding the population of the EAC from 184 million to 340 million. He was also instrumental in the creation of several regional platforms, which were critical in the negotiation of the EAC Common Market Protocol such as the East African Employers Association and the East African Trade Union Confederation. He also oversaw the deployment of East African Regional Forces to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to fight the March 23 Rebel Group, before their exit from the country in December of 2023 following DRC President Félix Tshisekedi's inaction in renewing the contract. In May 2024, Mathuki was appointed as the Kenyan Ambassador to Russia and therefore leaving his role as the Secretary-General of the East African Community.

Veronica Nduva Veronica Mueni Nduva (born 1976) is the 7th and current Secretary-General of the East African Community The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation in East Africa. The EAC's membership consists of eight states: D ...

was sworn in on 7 June 2024, as the replacement by the Kenyan President to complete his term.

Embezzlement

In March of 2024, an impeachment campaign was started in the EALA for the impeachment of Dr. Mathuki due to six million dollars in missing funds from the EAC Secretariat's Peace Fund. The allegations came from four whistleblowers close to his office who complained to one EALA MP. EALA Finance Subcommittee Chairperson Denis Namara broached the allegations at a EALA Plenary Session on 5 March 2024, following a speech from Kenyan President

William Ruto William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto (born 21 January 1967) is a Kenyan politician who is the fifth and current president of Kenya since 13 September 2022. Prior to becoming president, he served as the first elected Deputy President of Kenya, ...

, beginning the process of impeachment. However, on 8 March 2024, Dr. Mathuki was recalled by Ruto, sidestepping the impeachment which would have reflected negatively on Kenya. He was the first EAC Secretary-General to be recalled. Ruto also appointed Dr. Mathuki to Ambassador of Kenya to Russia, which the Kenyan National Assembly confirmed soon thereafter. On May 14 2024, the EALA announced that it will investigate Dr. Mathuki for corruption and abuse of office, with charges including fabricated travel expenses and favoritism in hiring of staff and consultants. On 7 June 2024, he was officially replaced as EAC Secretary-General by Veronica Nduva.

Other considerations

He sits on several boards including the Kenya Investment Authority,

Inter-University Council for East Africa The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) is an institution of the East African Community, which is a regional intergovernmental organisation of the republics of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan. IUCEA aims to f ...

, Uganda and Centre of Excellence for ICT in East Africa, Tanzania and the Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency among others. He is also a member of the Kenya Institute of Management.

References

External links

Brief BioWebsite of the East African Community
Living people Kamba people 1969 births People from Machakos County University of Nairobi alumni Ambassadors of Kenya to Russia Kenyan businesspeople Members of the East African Legislative Assembly East African Community officials {{EAC Secretaries General