Francis Kirimi Muthaura (born 20 October 1946 in Meru, Kenya) is a Kenyan former civil servant and close ally of former President Mwai Kibaki. He is the former Head of Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet. From 14 March 1996 to 24 April 2001 he was the

Secretary General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the

East African Community The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of seven countries in the Great Lakes region of East Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republics of Kenya, Burun ...

. Previously, he held several ambassadorial positions under the rule of former president

Daniel arap Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He was the country's longest-serving president. Moi previously served as the third vice ...

. He was appointed the chairman of the board of the Kenyan Revenue Authority by 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. Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...

on 25 May 2018.

Civil Service career

Muthaura had a long career in the Civil Service. After leaving the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a collegiate research university based in Nairobi. It is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dates back to 1956, it did not become an independent univer ...

in 1972, he was appointed the District Commissioner of Mombasa District, a position he held until 1973. He was then appointed an Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Daily Nation, 13 April 2003:

Education

He attended Nkubu Secondary School from 1966. In 1968, he joined Nyeri High School. He attended the

from 1969 to 1972 and graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

(BA) degree in Economics and

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. He also has a Diploma in

International Relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

, also from the University of Nairobi. He was later appointed Secretary to the cabinet in 2005.

2007 elections

In March 2008, following an agreement between the government and opposition to establish a coalition government to end a political crisis, Muthaura stirred controversy by saying that Kibaki would remain both head of state and head of government. This interpretation of the agreement would mean less power than the

Orange Democratic Movement The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is a centre-left political party in Kenya. It is the successor of a grassroots people's movement which was formed during the 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum campaign. This movement separated in Augu ...

(ODM) had anticipated for its leader,

Raila Odinga Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He is assumed to be the Leader of Opposition in Kenya sin ...

, who was expected to become Prime Minister under the deal; the ODM angrily rejected Muthaura's interpretation. Muthaura has been named as an instigator of post-election violence in 2007 – 2008 and was named among six suspects to be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court. He was accused of leading secret meetings in Kibaki's office, where revenge attacks against supporters of Kibaki's opposition were planned. The ICC prosecutor claimed he authorised the use of excessive force against protesters by the police. He was taped by two people posing as students, who claimed he had admitted involvement in post-election violence. On 11 March 2013, the charges against Muthaura were dropped by the ICC following the discrediting of a key witness.

Succession table

References

External links

Francis Muthaura's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muthaura, Francis Kenyan politicians 1946 births Living people Meru people Kenyan diplomats Alumni of Nyeri High School University of Nairobi alumni People from Eastern Province (Kenya) People from Meru County People indicted by the International Criminal Court East African Community officials