John Michuki
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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 politicians as well as a businessman in Kenya. Michuki served Kenya in various capacities, including Permanent Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Chairman of the
Kenya Commercial Bank     KCB Bank Kenya Limited is a financial services provider headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. It is licensed as a commercial bank, by the Central Bank of Kenya, the national banking regulator. The bank has also been running an agency banking ...
, Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister."Minister’s Profile – Hon. John Michuki, EGH, MP" Office of Public Communication, He was serving his 4th five-year term as a Member of Parliament for Kangema Constituency. Michuki had a reputation as a "ruthless" and efficient manager, and was widely acknowledged as among the best performing ministers in President Kibaki's Government. He was serving as th
Minister for Environment and National Resources
at the time of his death.


Early life

Michuki was born in December 1932 at Muguru village, Iyego Location, Kangema Division in modern-day Murang’a County. He was born to a large polygamous family of Chief Michuki wa Kagwi who had 47 wives. Michuki was the first-born son of Mariana Wanjiku, the 45th wife of Chief Michuki Kagwi. Despite his chiefly parentage, Michuki did not enjoy the privileges of life in his early upbringing. This was largely because his father died on 4 January 1940 when young Michuki was just seven years old. He suffered the fate of large polygamous families, where sons of older wives tend to disinherit those of younger wives. As such, Michuki's mother secured only 3 acres from the large Michuki estate. In many respects, Michuki's early life was similar to that of many post-colonial African elite who rose to prominence aided by a combination of the social capital and ties of extended family, networks of friends, sheer ingenuity and hard work. Although he was a
self-made man A self-made man is a person whose success is of their own making. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, has been described as the greatest exemplar of the self-made man. Inspired by Franklin's autobiography, Fr ...
, Michuki attributed his success to his disciplinarian father and a visionary and loving mother Mariana Wanjiku who, despite being illiterate, was keen on giving him education.


Education

Michuki's mother enrolled him at Muguru primary School in 1941, a year after his father's demise. In 1943 young Michuki dropped out of school a result of financial problems to cater for his fees. He travelled to
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 ...
where he worked briefly in tailoring-related works where he fixed buttons and made button holes for the uniforms of the Pioneer Corp Unit, during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. By the time the war ended, Michuki had relocated to
Nyeri Nyeri is a town situated in the Central Highlands of Kenya. It is the county headquarters of Nyeri County and was the central administrative headquarters of the country's former Central Province (Kenya), Central Province. The town is situated a ...
where he worked in the same job near the old police station, earning 1 Kenya shilling per day. While in Nairobi, he also cooked for the close and distant relatives quarantined by the colonial government as a result suffering from a smallpox epidemic. While here, Michuki enrolled at Kiangunyi Primary School where he sat for and passed his Kenya African Primary Education (KAPE) in 1945. In 1947 Michuki was admitted to Nyeri High School for his Secondary education, proceeding to
Mang'u High School Mang'u High School is a Kenyan Roman Catholic National High School established in 1925, located in Kiambu County along the Thika Road, Nairobi-Thika Highway from Thika, Kenya. Mang'u High School is ranked among the top schools nationwide in Ken ...
for his Advance Level education. It was while a student at Mang'u High School that Michuki met his lifelong friend,
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 ...
, under whom he later served a senior civil servant and as a cabinet Minister when the latter became the President of the Republic of Kenya in 2002. In 1961, Michuki secured a government scholarship to study at
Worcester College Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...
, a constituent college of the
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
,
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where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics, Finance and Public Administration.


Civil Service career

Michuki began his long career as civil servant in 1957 when he was recruited as a clerk within the Provincial Administration immediately after graduating from Mang’u High School. Upon graduating from Worcester in 1961, Michuki returned to Kenya becoming the first African District Commissioner (Kenya), District Commissioner(DC) in
Nyeri District Nyeri District was a districts of Kenya, district in the Central Province (Kenya), Central Province of Kenya. Its headquarters was in Nyeri town. It had an area of 3,356 km2. As Nyeri was established in 1901, it served as the headquarters of the N ...
. When Kenya re-gained independence in 1963, Michuki joined Kenneth Matiba and Duncan Ndegwa in the youthful team of senior civil servants in
Jomo Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He played a significant role in the ...
's first Independent Government (1963–1969). His achievements enabled him to quickly rise up the ranks from an Under Secretary in the Treasury in 1963 to Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Treasury in 1964 and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance in 1965. During his tenure as permanent Secretary, Michuki represented the Kenya Government on the boards of numerous influential international bodies, including being an Alternate Governor for Kenya on the
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, the
International Development Association The International Development Association (IDA) () is a development finance institution which offers concessional loans and grant (money), grants to the world's poorest developing country, developing countries. The IDA is a member of the World ...
(IDA) and
International Finance Corporation The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is an international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C. and a member of the World Bank Group that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private ...
(IFC). In 1971, he was awarded the Fellow of International Bankers Association (1971 – Washington) for his exemplary stewardship of the Ministry of Finance and later the Kenya Commercial Bank. In 1970, President Jomo Kenyatta appointed Michuki as the Executive Chairman of the Kenya Commercial Bank where he served until 1979. When 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 is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the thi ...
succeeded President Jomo Kenyatta as president upon the latter's death in 1978, Michuki became one of the
Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language. It may also refer to: *Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya * Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people *Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Cen ...
civil servants who left public service to embark on business and political careers.


Political career

Michuki tried his hand in politics when he vied for the Kangema parliamentary seat during the 1979 general election, the first in the Moi era. He, however, lost to the incumbent, Joseph Kamotho. Michuki made an impressive political come-back in the aftermath of the abortive Coup d’état by elements of the
Kenya Air Force The Kenya Air Force (KAF) or is the national aerial warfare service branch of the Republic of Kenya. The main airbase operating fighters is Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, while Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi is the headquarters. Other ba ...
that nearly toppled Daniel Moi from power on 1 August 1982 and the political shake-up that followed the "Njonjo Commission of Inquiry" which set the stage for the dramatic fall of the then powerful former Attorney-General and Minister for Constitution Affairs,
Charles Njonjo Charles Mūgane Njonjo (23 January 1920 – 2 January 2022) was a Kenyan lawyer who served as Attorney General of Kenya from 1963 to 1979, Minister of Constitutional Affairs and the member of Parliament for Kikuyu Constituency from 1980 to 198 ...
, and many of his allies in 1983. Michuki captured the chairmanship of the then powerful single party, the
Kenya African National Union The Kenya African National Union (KANU) is a Kenyan political party that ruled for nearly 40 years after Kenya's independence from British colonial rule in 1963 until its electoral loss in 2002. It was known as Kenya African Union (KAU) from 19 ...
(KANU) in 1983, and dislodged Kamotho from the Kangema seat in the 1983 snap election. President Daniel arap Moi appointed him Assistant Minister for Finance. However, Michuki lost his parliamentary seat and the cabinet post after the controversial ‘ Mlolongo’ (queue voting) election in 1988. In the ensuing protest politics after the 1988 massively flawed elections, Michuki covertly supported an emerging group rallied around his Murang’a counterparts, Kenneth Matiba and Charles Rubia, advocating for Kenya's return to multi-party politics. This campaign culminated in the historic Saba Saba uprising that eventually mounted pressure on Moi to repeal of article 2A, that legalized KANU's one-party dictatorship, and Kenya's return to political pluralism in 1991.


Multi-party Politics

In 1991, Michuki aligned himself to the politics of the original
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy Forum or The Forum may refer to: Common uses *Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example * Internet forum, discussion board ...
(FORD) that emerged from the Saba saba protest politics. Although his friend, Mwai Kibaki, also left the government and formed the more conservative Democratic Party of Kenya in December 1991, Michuki maintained his loyalty to the more populist FORD. Michuki was again forced to choose his political path when the original FORD split into two rival factions: the right-leaning Ford-Asili under Kenneth Matiba and its rival Ford-Kenya led by the left-leaning
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga (October 1911 – 20 January 1994) was a Kenyan politician who became a prominent figure in Kenya's struggle for independence. He served as Kenya's first vice-president, and thereafter as opposition leader. Oding ...
. Michuki threw his support behind Matiba and FORD-Asili. During the seminal 1992 multiparty elections, Michuki recaptured the Kangema seat on the Ford-Asili ticket. But when Ford-Asili further splintered ahead of the 1997 elections, Michuki decamped to Ford-People and retained his Kangema seat on the party's ticket.


Kibaki Era

Michuki was at the center of the coalition-making politics ahead of the historic 2002 elections. He first joined a group of parliamentarians led by the then leader of Opposition, Mwai Kibaki, which formed the
National Alliance Party of Kenya The National Alliance (TNA) was a political party in Kenya. It took on its current identity when Uhuru Kenyatta assumed control and renamed it as the vehicle for his 2012 presidential campaign. History The National Alliance was founded as the N ...
(NAK), as a merger of smaller opposition parties that endorsed Kibaki as flag-bearer. In October 2002, NAK coalesced with the breakaway faction of KANU, 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 ...
(LDP) to form 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) in 2002, which dislodged Moi and KANU after four decades in power. Michuki became a central figure and a key Kibaki ally in the NARC politics, retaining his Kangema parliamentary seat. President Kibaki subsequently appointed him Minister of Transport and Communications in the NARC government. ''Michuki Rules'' Michuki's legacy as the Minister for Transport and Communications was the famous "Michuki Rules" aimed at restoring order in public transport, especially the chaotic
Matatu In Kenya, matatu or matatus (known as mathree in Sheng) are privately owned minibuses used as share taxis. Often decorated, many ''matatu'' feature portraits of famous people or slogans and sayings. Likewise, the music they play is also aimed ...
(Taxi) sector. The rules which came into effect in February 2004 required all public taxis ("matatus") and buses to install speed governors, passenger safety belts, operate in clearly defined routes, to carry a specified number of passengers and their drivers and conductors to be disciplined and to have a clean security record. In recognition of his efforts to reform public transport, Michuki won the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights' Waziri (Minister's) award. The defeat of the government sponsored constitution in the 2005 referendum culminated to the cabinet reshuffle which saw Michuki appointed as the Minister of influential ministry Internal Security and Provincial Administration. Michuki was appointed as Minister for Roads and Public Works in the Cabinet named by President Kibaki on 8 January 2008 following the controversial December 2007 presidential election. He would however serve this ministry for a short while as when the Grand Coalition government was formed after a power-sharing agreement between president Kibaki and the leader of the opposition
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 ...
. ''Minister of Environment'' Michuki was appointed as Minister for the Environment and Mineral Resources in the Grand Coalition Cabinet named on 13 April 2008. He was also appointed by president Kibaki as an Acting Minister of Finance on 11 July 2008 to stand in for Amos Kimunya. Amos Kimunya stepped aside pending investigation on corruption allegation in the Ministry when he censored by parliament over the sale of Grand Regency Hotel and the
Safaricom Safaricom PLC is a listed Kenyan mobile network operator headquartered at Safaricom House in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the largest telecommunications provider in Kenya, and one of the most profitable companies in the East and Central Africa region. T ...
IPO. As Minister for Environment and Mineral Resources, has initiated diverse programmes and projects among them being the
Nairobi River The Nairobi River is a river that flows across Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. It is the main river of the Nairobi River Basin, with several parallel streams flowing eastward. All of the Nairobi basin rivers join east of Nairobi and meet the ...
's Rehabilitation and Restoration Programme, the reclamation of the Kenya's five water towers (the Mau Forest Complex,
Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Meru people, Meru: ''Kĩrĩmaara,'' Kikuyu people, Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba language, Kamba: ''Ki nyaa'', Embu language, Embu: ''Kĩ nyaga'') is an extinct volcano in Kenya and the Highest mountain peaks of Africa, second-highe ...
,
Aberdare Range The Aberdare Range (formerly the Sattima Range, Kikuyu: ''Nyandarua'') is a long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of . It straddles the counties of Nyandarua, Nyeri, Murang'a, Kiambu and ...
,
Mount Elgon Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain's highest point, named "Wagagai", is located entirely within Uganda.
and Cherangany Hills). He was honoured with a UNEP Award for his clean-up of the Nairobi River and the city. Michuki is the force behind the enactment of a new mining act to regulate environmental degradation and mining. He also took key leadership role in addressing Africa's position towards the
2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 and 18 December. The conference included the 15th session of the Conference of the Partie ...
in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
(December 2009) and served as the co-chair of International Environmental Governance (IEG). Michuki led the Kenya delegation to the Durban Environmental Conference 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 ...
on 28 November – 9 December 2011 where he stated Kenya's determination to reduce the menace of global warming and called on the world's wealthy nations to assist the poor ones to mitigate the devastation of climate change. This turned out to be the Minister's last official assignment, having missed the 12th Special Session of the
United Nations Environmental Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...
(UNEP) Governing Council Global Ministerial Forum held in Nairobi on 20 February 2012.


Controversies


'Shoot-to-Kill'

Perhaps the most contentious issue surrounding Michuki is the infamous ‘ Shoot-to-kill’ order against the out-lawed
Mungiki Mungiki is a banned ethnic organisation in Kenya. The name (''mũngĩkĩ'', ) means "a united people" or "multitude" in the Kikuyu language. The religion, which apparently originated in the late 1980s, is secretive and bears some similarity to myst ...
sect, which he is alleged to have directed the police while he served as the Minister for Internal Security. Human Rights groups condemned the order citing that it contravened both the Police Act and general Human Rights guaranteed by the constitution. Michuki is alleged to have ordered the raid on the Standard Media Group in February 2006. He sparked more protest when he declared that "when you rattle a snake you must be prepared to be bitten."


The 2010 Referendum Politics

During the 2010 referendum, Michuki initially took a neutral stand and was reluctant to declare support for the proposed constitution. Michuki was in some instance reported in the media to be opposed to the draft constitution 'dismissing it as a foreign document'. However, Michuki, who had remained mute for the better part of the campaigns, finally broke silence endorsing the draft constitution saying he did not want to "act as a stumbling block to the passage of a new constitution which has eluded Kenyans for over twenty years". He also cited his long friendship with President Mwai Kibaki, who was heading the pro-constitution campaigns.


Politics of the Kibaki Succession

Amid the opposition from
Rift Valley Province Rift Valley Province () of Kenya, bordering Uganda, was one of Kenya's eight provinces, before the 2013 Kenyan general election. Rift Valley Province was the largest and one of the most economically important provinces in Kenya. It was dominated ...
MPs, Michuki insisted that all occupants of the
Mau Forest Mau Forest is a forest complex in the East African Rift, Rift Valley of Kenya. It is the largest indigenous montane forest in East Africa. The Mau Forest complex has an area of . The forest area has some of the highest rainfall rates in Kenya. Ma ...
would be evicted and only some of the squatters would be compensated. He said it was within his duty as the Environment Minister to protect forests. The Mau forest question is said to be the "most explosive political issue in the politics of the Kibaki succession in the run-up to the August 2010 constitutional referendum and the decisive 2012 elections". Michuki has also received a fair share of condemnation after he endorsed
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 ...
as the Kikuyu,
Embu Embu may refer to: Places ; in Brazil * Embu das Artes * Embu-Guaçu ; in Kenya * Embu, Kenya * Embu County Other

*Embu people of Kenya *Embu language, the Bantu language spoken by them {{Disamb, geo ...
and Meru flag bearer ahead of the 2012 elections. His proposition was condemned as "Project Uhuru II" by among Martha Karua who was also a presidential hopeful for 2012 and also comes from the same tribe as Uhuru. Karua was alluding to "Project Uhuru" in 2002 when President Moi threw his weight behind Uhuru Kenyatta for the Presidency when he was retiring.


Personal life

Michuki was married to Josephine Watiri Michuki, and had six children (three sons and three daughters). He was the chairman and majority shareholder of Windsor Golf & Country Club in Nairobi, a club he built after losing the Mlolongo elections of 1988, and which he rightly praised as a great African achievement in recreation and environmental protection. Josephine died on 22 August 2012, almost exactly six months after her husband. Michuki was also the managing director of Fairview Investments Ltd and Kangema Farmers Ltd, both involved in coffee farms, tea farms and real estate, among other things. He was an uncle to Queen Jane, a famous musician.The Standard, 1 July 2010
Chief’s daughter who grew to become Queen
/ref>


Death

Michuki died at the age of 79 on 21 February 2012, reportedly of a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
. Prior to his demise, Michuki had traveled to the United Kingdom for treatment in December 2011, returning to Kenya on 16 February. Two days after his return from
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, he fell ill and was rushed to the intensive care unit of Aga Khan University Hospital's Heart and Cancer Centre in Nairobi, where he died. His death was announced by President Mwai Kibaki, who also described the late minister as "a true family friend and dependable ally."


Legacy

He is widely remembered due to the Michuki laws he brought while being the transport minister


See also

* Wanja Michuki


References


External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070927182353/http://www.parliament.go.ke/MPs/members_michuki_n.php {{DEFAULTSORT:Michuki, John Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford 1932 births 2012 deaths Forum for the Restoration of Democracy – Asili politicians Forum for the Restoration of Democracy – People politicians National Rainbow Coalition politicians Party of National Unity (Kenya) politicians Government ministers of Kenya Alumni of Mang'u High School Alumni of Nyeri High School Finance ministers of Kenya People from Central Province (Kenya) World Bank Group people People from Nyeri County