Machel Waikenda
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Dr. Machel Waikenda ( ; born 23 April 1981) is a Kenyan
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
and the former
State House State House or statehouse may refer to: Buildings *Aso Villa or State House, the official residence of the President of Nigeria *Government House, Dominica or The State House, the official residence of the President of Dominica * State House, Bar ...
Director of Political Affairs. He was formerly the executive-committee member in charge of youth affairs, sports, and communications in the county government of
Kiambu Kiambu is a town in Kiambu County, Kenya. It is from the national capital, Nairobi. It is the capital of Kiambu County, which bounds the northern border of Nairobi. Other proximate towns are Ruiru, Gatundu, Limuru and Kabete. Administr ...
. Between April 2012 and August 2013, Waikenda was the communications director for
The National Alliance 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 ...
, which through a merger with 13 other mainstream parties formed 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 ...
that brought the then sitting 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 ...
to his reelection in 2017.


Education and early life

Machel Waikenda was born on 23 April 1981 in
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 ...
and was named 'Machel' in honor of
Samora Machel Samora Moisés Machel (29 September 1933 – 19 October 1986) was a Mozambique, Mozambican politician and revolutionary. A Socialism, socialist in the tradition of Marxism–Leninism, he served as the first President of Mozambique from the coun ...
, the former president of Mozambique. His father, a banker, worked in
Central Bank of Kenya The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) () is the monetary authority of Kenya. Its head office is located in Nairobi. CBK was founded by in 1966 after the dissolution of East African Currency Board (EACB). Dr. Kamau Thugge, CBS is the current Governor a ...
and his mother in the civil service. Waikenda grew up in different towns in Kenya. He spent much of his time in Taita Taveta,
Kilifi Kilifi is a town on the coast of Kenya, northeast of Mombasa by road. The town lies on the Kilifi Creek and sits on the estuary of the Goshi River. Kilifi is the capital of Kilifi County and had a population of 122,899 during the 2009 census. ...
, and Kaloleni. He completed the last year of his primary school education in Nairobi and sat for his
KCPE The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) was a certificate awarded to students after completing the approved eight-year course in primary education in Kenya. The examination was supervised by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) ...
at St. Mary's School. Thereafter, he went to Makini School where he completed his secondary education. After graduating from high school, he attended the Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Florida where he received his Associate of Arts Degree. Thereafter, he Joined the
University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
for his bachelor's degree in Science in
Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
. Thereafter, Waikenda enrolled in Flight School, Airline Pilot Training in Florida where he received his Commercial Pilots License and a Multi-Engine Rating. While training as a pilot, he enrolled in the
University of Phoenix University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the Ac ...
where he graduated with 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) degree. He later pursued his PhD in Business Administration in Finance and Entrepreneurship at the United States International University (USIU) Africa and graduated in 2019.


Career


First Officer Pilot

Waikenda began his career as a pilot trainee in Kenya airways in 2005 and was promoted to the rank of the First Officer (also referred to as the co-pilot) six months later. He holds a commercial pilot licence (CPL) with ratings for the 737 and 767 planes and over 3,000 flight hours. He was formerly an employee at
Kenya Airways Kenya Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Kenya Airways, is the flag carrier airline of Kenya. The company was founded in 1977, after the dissolution of East African Airways. Its head office is located in Embakasi, Nairobi, with its Airline hu ...
before he quit his career to focus on other business ventures, especially in the entertainment industry.


Politics

According to sources, Waikenda joined
The National Alliance 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 ...
in April 2012 and was the Chief Coordinator for the 2012 By-Elections in
Kangema Kangema is a settlement in Muranga County, Kenya. It is the birthplace of James Mwangi, the Group Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of the Equity Group Holdings Limited, the banking conglomerate with the largest customer bas ...
, Ndhiwa, and Kajiado North. He was the acting executive director of the Party, Director of Communications, and the Secretary of Arts and Entertainment where he coordinated media and communications affairs. After the party won the presidential and general elections in March 2013, he was appointed to the National Olympics Committee Youth Commission. During his political career, Waikenda has served as a member of the World Youth Parliament and the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), an economic development program aimed to provide an overarching vision and policy framework for bolstering economic co-operation and integration among African countries. Waikenda's published articles primarily revolve around youth unemployment, abstinence from premarital sex, drugs, alcohol and substance abuse, avoidance of crime, and the role of youth in revolutionizing politics and governance. With an estimated youth population of about 10 million, which account for more than 20 per cent of the total population, Kenya is somewhat on the verge of facing what is described as 'youth bulge.' While this situation seems to be a vital asset to the growth of national economy, it has also predisposed the country to a national crises. A majority of youth population has not been able to access employment, particularly in Kiambu County. To address this issue, the government has established a range of platforms to empower the youth. During his tenure, Waikenda strove to enhance the youth's access to funding from various government assistance programs such as the Kiambu Biashara Fund. In 2013, Waikenda initiated a nationwide program dubbed "Dunda" that was used by the Jubilee Coalition to agitate for support from the youth. The campaign, which involved local artistes such
Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
,
Bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
,
Abbas Abbas may refer to: People * Abbas (name), list of people with the name, including: **Abbas ibn Ali (645–680), popularly known as ''Hazrat-e-Abbas'', the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib (the first imam in Shia Islam) **Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (567 ...
, Chiwawa, Ally B, G con, and Ben Githae, was meant to inform the youth about their pivotal role in politics and civic rights as well as giving them an opportunity to highlight their issues to political aspirants, especially those allied to the Jubilee Party. Through the extensive media coverage during the campaigns, Waikenda called the government to formulate a framework that would pave the way for the allocation of 2.5 per cent of the country's annual GDP to the Youth Enterprise Capital Fund, a program that would enable the youth to access interest-free business financing. In hindsight, the government-elect announced that it would allocate 30 percent of its procurement tenders to young entrepreneurs.


Initiatives

Waikenda has been at the forefront of initiating several projects that have primarily revolved around youth affairs. Some of them include the following:


Kiambu Iko Talent Competitions

During his tenure as the County Executive Member of Youth Affairs, Sports and Communication, Waikenda promoted youth talents through various initiatives such as 'Kiambu Iko Talent Competitions' where the most creative and best performing young people with arts talents were rewarded. He also introduced a football tournament dubbed 'Champions Cup' where he awarded cash prizes to the teams that were crowned the County Champions after a fierce competition from the ward level.


Biashara Fund Mobile Loans

Through his guidance the Kiambu Youth, Women and Persons with Disabilities Enterprise Development Fund Act (dubbed Biashara Fund) was implemented with continuous disbursements done and repayment of almost all beneficiaries. The principal goal of the fund was to enable youth, women and persons with disability to access affordable funding for their business, whether start-ups or existing entities. He has expanded the knowledge of youth through conducting capacity building training on various aspects of agri-business, leadership, business management, youth access to government procurement and talent development.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waikenda, Machel 1981 births Living people Kenya Airways people Kenyan mass media people University of Florida alumni University of Phoenix alumni Politicians from Nairobi 21st-century Kenyan politicians