Kiraitu Murungi (born 1 January 1952) is a Kenyan politician, lawyer, and civil rights advocate. He is the Chairman of the National Oil Corporation of Kenya. He has previously held roles including Governor of Meru County, Senator for Meru, and was a long-serving Member of Parliament for South Imenti Constituency. Over his extensive political career, he has also served as a Cabinet Minister and been instrumental in advocating for social justice and democratic reforms in Kenya.

Early life

Kiraitu Murungi was born on 1 January 1952 in Kionyo Village, Meru District. He attended Kionyo Primary School, then Chuka High School, and Alliance High School. Murungi earned a Bachelor of Laws 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 ...

in 1977 and later an LLM from the same university in 1982. In 1991, he completed a second LLM at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

, where he studied during his exile in the United States.

Career

Legal and advocacy work

Before entering politics, Murungi was a partner in a law firm he co-founded with

Gibson Kamau Kuria Gibson Kamau Kuria (born 3 March 1947 in Mahiga Location, Othaya Division, Nyeri District) is a Kenyan lawyer and a recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for 1988. Early education Kuria started his formal education at Mahiga ...

and

Aaron Ringera Aaron Gitonga Ringera (born 20 June 1950) is a Kenyan lawyer who served as a judge and as the former director of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC). He was born in Githongo, Meru, Kenya, Meru. Education and early career Ringera has ...

. The firm handled significant cases, notably representing political prisoners detained during

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 ...

's presidency. Murungi became well known for his work in human rights and social justice, including representing Wanyiri Kihoro against the Kenyan government. His commitment to democratic reform continued during his time in exile, where he supported efforts for multi-party democracy in Kenya.

Political career

Murungi entered politics in the early 1990s, joining the

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) and later the Democratic Party (DP) as he advocated for multi-party democracy. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for South Imenti in 1992 and held this seat until 2013, aligning himself with reformist leaders and later joining 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. He held various cabinet roles, including Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and later Minister of Energy. In 2013, Murungi became the Senator for Meru County, representing the county in the

Kenyan Senate The Senate of the Republic of Kenya (Swahili language, swahili: ''Seneti ya Jamhuri ya Kenya)'' is one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Kenya, along with the National Assembly of Kenya, National Assembly. The Senate was first established ...

. In 2017, he successfully ran for Governor of Meru County under the

Jubilee Party The Jubilee Party of Kenya is a major political party in Kenya. It has significantly influenced the country's political landscape since its founding on 8 September 2016. Emerging from a merger of 11 smaller parties, including The National Alli ...

and served a five-year term. After his term as governor, Murungi was appointed Chairman of the National Oil Corporation of Kenya in 2023, where he has been tasked with overseeing the strategic direction of Kenya’s national petroleum interests.

Controversies

Murungi's political career has been marked by some controversies. In 2005, he faced criticism for a remark perceived as trivialising both corruption and gender violence, for which he later apologised. Murungi was also implicated in the

Anglo Leasing Scandal The Anglo Leasing scandal was a government procurement-facilitated Corruption in Kenya, corruption scandal in Kenya. Origins The scandal is alleged to have started when the Kenyan Government wanted to replace its passport printing system, in 199 ...

, an infamous corruption case in Kenya. In 2006,

John Githongo John Githongo (born 1965) is a former Kenyan journalist who investigated bribery and fraud in his home country (Kenya) and later, under the presidency of Mwai Kibaki, took on an official governmental position to fight corruption. In 2005 he lef ...

, former Governance and Ethics Permanent Secretary, released recordings alleging that Murungi attempted to obstruct investigations. Although he denied the accusations, he resigned from his cabinet post to allow further investigation, later returning to his position as Minister of Energy.

Legacy and personal life

Murungi has been described as a visionary leader and social organiser who has significantly contributed to the development of South Imenti Constituency. He is married to Priscilla Murungi, and they have four children. Known for his resilience, Murungi has had a profound influence on Kenyan politics and governance, particularly in his advocacy for democratic reforms.

References

External links

Archived profile on Parliament of Kenya website

Meru County profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murungi, Kiraitu Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) 1952 births Members of the Senate of Kenya Harvard Law School alumni Living people Energy in Kenya Meru people 20th-century Kenyan lawyers Government ministers of Kenya National Rainbow Coalition politicians Party of National Unity (Kenya) politicians Alliance Party of Kenya politicians Alumni of Alliance High School (Kenya) University of Nairobi alumni Kenya School of Law alumni Kenyan exiles