Mutahi Kagwe 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 ...

serving as the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development in the Republic of Kenya. Formerly he was the cabinet secretary for Health in the government of

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 ...

. He assumed office on 28 February 2020 after the docket was handed over to him by the previous cabinet secretary for Health, Sicily Kariuki. Kagwe hit the airwaves at the onset of the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic when the first case was confirmed in

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 ...

on 12 Marc
2020
following the outbreak in

Wuhan, China Wuhan; is the capital of Hubei, China. With a population of over eleven million, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the eighth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine national central cities and the second most livabl ...

in December 2019.

Education

Hon. Mutahi Kagwe was born in 1958 and he attended his early education at Kihate Primary School from 1965 - 1971. He later joined Kagumo High School in 1972 - 1977 to pursue his O levels and A levels. Kagwe would later join 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 ...

from 1978 - 1981 where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (BCom or B Com) is an undergraduate degree in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects. The degree is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations. Structure Bachelor of Commerce The Bac ...

(Insurance) degree. He took further studies at the

United States International University United States International University (USIU) was a nonprofit university based in San Diego, California, that was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. At its peak, it had two additional American campuses and three inter ...

from 1988 - 1992 and graduated with an

MBA 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 a ...

Professional career

Before Kagwe got into politics he was in private business and had an independent publishing house as well as a public relations company. Between 1987 and 1989 he was working with the Standard Media Group's advertising department where he rose to the position of commercial director of the institution.

Political career

Kagwe's political journey began in the year 2002 when he became the fifth member of parliament for Mukurweini Constituency in

Nyeri County Nyeri County is a county located in the central region of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Nyeri. It had a population of 759,164 according to the 2019 census and an area of 2361 km2. Mutahi Kahiga was governor . Previous governors in ...

on a

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) party ticket. As a member of parliament, he was the chair of the parliamentary committee on Finance, Trade, Tourism, and Planning. In the year 2005, Kagwe was appointed to the cabinet as the minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) by the late former 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 ...

. Kagwe tried to retain his parliamentary seat during the

2007 Kenyan general election General elections were held in Kenya on 27 December 2007. Voters elected the President of Kenya, President, and members of the National Assembly (Kenya), National Assembly. They coincided with the 2007 Kenyan local elections. Incumbent Mwai Ki ...

s but he lost it to Kabando wa Kabando. He ran in the

2013 Kenyan General Election General elections were held in Kenya on 4 March 2013. Voters elected the President of Kenya, President, members of the National Assembly (Kenya), National Assembly and newly formed Senate of Kenya, Senate. Also elected include Governor, governor ...

s for a seat in the

Senate of Kenya The Senate of the Republic of Kenya ( swahili: ''Seneti ya Jamhuri ya Kenya)'' is one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Kenya, along with the National Assembly. The Senate was first established as part of Kenya's 1963 Constitution. Af ...

on a NARC party ticket. He won and became the first senator of

. He assumed office as the senator of

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 ...

county in March 2013. In the

2017 Kenyan general election General elections were held in Kenya on 8 August 2017 to elect the President, members of the National Assembly and Senate. They coincided with the 2017 Kenyan local elections which elected Governors and representatives in the devolved governme ...

s, he pursued the Nyeri gubernatorial seat on a

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 ...

ticket, which he lost.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kagwe, Mutahi 1959 births Members of the Senate of Kenya Government ministers of Kenya University of Nairobi alumni Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) United States International University alumni Living people Alumni of Kagumo High School Kenyan politicians