Charity Ngilu
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Charity Kaluki Ngilu (born 28 January 1952) is a Kenyan politician and the second governor elected for
Kitui County Kitui County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kitui. Mwingi is also another major urban centre. The county has a population of about 1.2 million people (as of 2024)Ny ...
. She unsuccessfully vied to be President of the Republic 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. ...
in 1997. She served as
Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...
from 2003 until 2007 and Minister of Water and Irrigation from April 2008 to 2013. She also served as Cabinet Secretary for Land, Housing and Urban Development from 2013 until 2015. Charity Ngilu attended
Alliance Girls High School Alliance Girls' High School (AGHS) is a public national boarding school for girls located near the small town of Kikuyu in Kiambu County, 20 km from Nairobi. Founded in 1948 by Alliance of protestors mission.it is within walking distance fro ...
, then joined Government Secretarial College, Kianda College, and the Kenya Institute of Administration for Commerce to receive management and secretarial skills. She started as a secretary before becoming a prosperous businesswoman in the plastics and bakery industries. Along with
Joyce Laboso Joyce Cherono Abonyo (née Laboso; 25 November 1960 – 29 July 2019) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second governor of Bomet County from 2017 until her death on 29 July 2019. She was a Member of Parliament representing Sotik consti ...
and Anne Waiguru, Ngilu is one of three women who became Kenya's first female governors in 2017.


Political life

Ngilu was elected to represent the
Kitui Kitui is a town and capital of Kitui County in Kenya, 185 kilometres east of Nairobi and 105 kilometres east of Machakos. it covers an area approximately 30,496.4 km squares and lies between latitudes 0°10 South and 3°0 South and long ...
central constituency seat in 1992 on a Democratic Party ticket. She was reelected to the same seat and ran for president in the 1997 general election on a
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...
of Kenya ticket, finishing fifth behind the eventual winner,
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 is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the thi ...
. Along with
Wangari Maathai Wangari is a name of Kikuyu origin that may refer to: * Wangari Maathai (1940–2011), Kenyan environmental and political activist * Catherine Wangari Wainaina (born 1985), Kenyan beauty pageant contestant * Margaret Wangari Muriuki (born 1986), K ...
, she became Kenya's first female presidential candidate
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. ...
. Later, she joined
National Party of Kenya The National Party of Kenya is a political party in Kenya. In the legislative elections of 27 December 2002, the party was a partner in the National Rainbow Coalition that won 56.1% of the popular vote and 125 out of 212 elected seats. The party i ...
. In the December 2002 general election, her party was part of the
National Rainbow Coalition The National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) is a political party in Kenya. As an alliance, it was in power from 2002 and 2005 when it collapsed due to disagreements between members over a constitutional referendum. Formation In preparation of the 2002 ...
(NARC). The coalition went on to win the elections, and President
Mwai Kibaki Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki (15 November 1931 – 21 April 2022) was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013. He served in various leadership positions in Kenya's government including ...
appointed her as
Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...
when he named his Cabinet on 3 January 2003. She was also appointed NARC chairperson. Ngilu was seen as a ''new school'' member in the government, as opposed to ''old school'' members like
John Michuki John Njoroge Michuki (1December 193221February 2012) was a Kenyan politician. He was born at Muguru village in Fort Hall District. He was educated in Kenya and abroad. Michuki emerged as one of the prominent and long-serving civil servants and ...
and President Kibaki. However, she was left stranded after the
Liberal Democratic Party Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...
left the coalition after the defeat of the Government-sponsored draft constitution, while most of the remaining NARC members founded the new Narc-Kenya party led by Martha Karua. On 5 October 2007, Ngilu announced her support for 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 that was formed during the 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum campaign. This movement separated in Augus ...
and its presidential candidate,
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 ...
, in the December 2007 general election;Alex Kiprotich and Ben Agina, , ''The Standard'' (Kenya), 7 October 2007.Magreat Kalekye
"Ngilu states her political stand"
, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, 5 October 2007.
she has compared Odinga to
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...
. She initially said that she was remaining in the government, despite backing Kibaki's main rival. However, her dismissal from the government by Kibaki was announced on 6 October. Ngilu was re-elected to her seat from Kitui Central in the December 2007 parliamentary election. Kibaki won the presidential election according to official results, but this was disputed by the ODM, and a violent crisis developed. The crisis was eventually resolved with a power-sharing agreement,"Odinga sworn in as Kenya PM"
, Al Jazeera, 17 April 2008.
Anthony Kariuki
"Kibaki names Raila PM in new Cabinet"
nationmedia.com, 13 April 2008.
and in the grand coalition Cabinet named on 13 April 2008 and sworn in on 17 April, Ngilu was appointed as Minister of Water and Irrigation. Ngilu showed support for
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 ...
in running for presidential bid in Kenyan elections 2013.She later launched a presidential bid through her Narc Political Party, ultimately choosing to run for
Kitui County Kitui County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kitui. Mwingi is also another major urban centre. The county has a population of about 1.2 million people (as of 2024)Ny ...
senator and losing to David Musila in the process. Following her failed bid, Ngilu was named Cabinet Secretary for Land, Housing and Urban Development 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. The son of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president, he previously served as Prime Minister of Kenya, Deputy Pri ...
, but she resigned from the post following corruption allegations.


Kitui County Governor

Ngilu ran for governor of Kitui County in the 2017 general election, beating incumbent Julius Malombe and becoming one of three elected women governors.


Directives on Environmental Protection

Charity Ngilu's tenure as Kitui County Governor began with controversial and otherwise popular decisions including banning sand harvesting and the burning and transportation of charcoal in the county. The directive according to Ngilu was in the interest of environment protection in the county. The ban on charcoal transportation brought about allegations of ethnic incitement. This resulted in the summoning and questioning of Ngilu by the
National Cohesion and Integration Commission The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) is a government agency of Kenya. It is intended to address and reduce Ethnic conflict, inter-ethnic conflicts. The Commission was created by the National Cohesion and Integration Act followi ...
.
Kiambu County Kiambu County is a county in the former Central Province of Kenya. Its capital is Kiambu and its largest town is Thika town. Kiambu County is the second most populous county in Kenya after Nairobi County. Kiambu County borders Nairobi and Kaji ...
Governor Ferdinand Waititu proceeded to sue Charity Ngilu for incitement. Ngilu's move attracted defence from leaders in the lower eastern region of Kenya, also known as
Ukambani The Kamba or Akamba (sometimes called Wakamba) people are Bantu peoples ethnic group who predominantly live in Kenya stretching from Nairobi to Tsavo and northwards to Embu, in the southern part of the former Eastern Province. This land is ...
. Ngilu secured a court order barring the police from arresting her over the charcoal row. Implementation of the charcoal transportation ban was problematic with allegations that Kitui County government officials were colluding with charcoal transporters to undermine Ngilu's directive. The problem also attracted public opinion on how best to effect the ban.


Relationship with County Assembly

In the first two years of her tenure as Governor, Charity had a strained relationship with members of the Kitui County Assembly. In December 2018, Charity was accused of delaying the release of salaries to members of the County Assembly. Charity and members of the assembly were reported to develop an improving working relationship in 2019. Charity accused the assembly of unduly delaying the passing of a supplementary budget until May 2020 with one month remaining to the end of the financial year.


Troubled County Public Service Board Appointments

In the first half of 2020, her nominees to the County Public Service Board (CPSB) were rejected by the County Assembly. The term of the county's first Public Service Board had expired in 2019. The rejection arose after what Charity Ngilu considered an unjustified delay that she blamed on the Assembly Speaker Mr. George Ndoto. Charity went on to blame the rejection of her nominees on what she considered interference in local politics by
Kalonzo Musyoka Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka (born 24 December 1953) is a Kenyan politician who was the tenth Vice-President of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. Musyoka served in the government under the late President Daniel arap Moi as the Secretary of Kenya African Nat ...
, the Wiper Democratic Party leader. The delayed appointment of members of the County Public Service Board was reported to hinder the hiring of extra healthcare workers to enhance the county's fight against the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.


2022 General Elections

In the
2022 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2022 United Nations Security Council election * 2022 national electoral calendar * 2022 local e ...
, Ngilu supported
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 ...
's bid for presidency. Though she had been cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to defend her seat as governor of
Kitui County Kitui County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kitui. Mwingi is also another major urban centre. The county has a population of about 1.2 million people (as of 2024)Ny ...
, she would later withdraw her candidature in favor of Julius Malombe of Wiper Party. She was allegedly angling for a higher position in
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 ...
's led Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya coalition government if the coalition would win the August polls.


Law Society of Kenya Blacklist

On 16 January 2012 the
Law Society of Kenya The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) is an organization mandated to advise and assist members of thlegal profession the government and the larger public in all matters relating to the administration of justice in Kenya. It was established by an Act of ...
identified Ngilu as one of the public officials have been mentioned adversely in various reports on issues ranging from corruption to economic crimes. The society advised voters not to vote those mentioned in the report as they had previously compromised.


Censure motion 2013

In November 2013, the 11th Kenyan parliament debated about her conduct as the cabinet secretary for Land, Housing and Urban Development. The parliament was acting on recommendations by a special committee whose mandate was to investigate how she appointed a new director-general at her ministry without involving the parliament as provided for in the constitution of Kenya.


Personal life

Her husband, Michael Mwendwa Ngilu, died on 1 July 2006 in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. Charity Ngilu has three children.


References


External links

* http://www.worldpress.org/Africa/1125.cfm {{DEFAULTSORT:Ngilu, Charity 1952 births Living people Democratic Party (Kenya) politicians National Party of Kenya politicians Orange Democratic Movement politicians Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) Health ministers of Kenya Water ministers of Kenya Alumni of Alliance Girls High School Women government ministers of Kenya People from Makueni County 21st-century Kenyan women politicians 20th-century Kenyan women politicians 20th-century Kenyan politicians People from Kitui County National Rainbow Coalition politicians National Rainbow Coalition – Kenya politicians County governors of Kenya Candidates for President of Kenya