Najib Balala (born 20 September 1967) is a

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. ...

n politician who formerly served as the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism. He traces his ancestral origin to the Hadhrami people of

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. He is a former M.P. for Mvita Constituency and leader of The Republican Congress Party of Kenya (RC), a partner of the Jubilee Coalition.

Early life and education

Born to a Hadhrami family, Balala attended Serani Boys primary school, and Kakamega High School, a national school. He studied Business Administration and International Urban Management and Leadership at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, and the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Experience and career

*Prior to venturing into public life, Najib Balala worked in private sector tourism, and eventually joined a family tea and coffee trading business *Secretary of The Swahili Cultural Centre (1993–1996) *Chairman of Coast Tourist Association (1996–1999) *Mayor of Mombasa (1998–1999) *Chairman, Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Mombasa Chapter) (2000–2003) *Member of Parliament for Mvita Constituency (27 Dec 2002 – 15 Dec 2007) *Minister for Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services (7 Jan 2003 – 31 June 2004) *Acting Minister for Labour (Jan – June 2003) *Minister for National Heritage (31 June – 21 Nov 2005) *Member of Parliament for Mvita Constituency (27 Dec 2007 – 15 Jan 2013) *Chairman of the UNWTO Executive Council (11 Nov 2011 – March 2012) *Minister for Tourism (17 Apr 2008 – 26 March 2012) *Cabinet Secretary for Mining (15 May 2013 – June 2015) *Cabinet Secretary for Tourism (June 2015 to 2022)

Politics

Balala began his political career as the Mayor of Mombasa, Kenya. He was then elected to a Mvita parliamentary seat in the 2002 general elections. Prior to that, Balala served as vice-chairman of Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), Chairman of All Local Government Association of Kenya, and Chairman of Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association. Balala was the longest serving Minister for Tourism, a position he held from the beginning of 2008 until 26 March 2012, when he was dismissed during a cabinet reshuffle. He formed The Republican Congress Party of Kenya (RC) in April 2012 that became a principal partner in the Jubilee Coalition with 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 ...

( TNA),

William Samoei Ruto William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto (born 21 January 1967) is a Kenyan politician who is the fifth and current president of Kenya since 13 September 2022. Prior to becoming president, he served as the first elected Deputy President of Kenya, ...

( URP), and Charity Ngilu ( Narc). As Cabinet Secretary for Mining, he revoked licenses issued by the previous government. He has been accused of corruption by Cortec Mining for requesting a bribe of nearly $1 million for the reissuing of the license. In December 2023, he, along with former principal secretary Leah Addah Gwiyo, and managing partner of West Consults John Odero, were accused of inflating the cost of the project to build a tourism college and arrested. He was the first former minister to be arrested on corruption charges since

William Ruto William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto (born 21 January 1967) is a Kenyan politician who is the fifth and current president of Kenya since 13 September 2022. Prior to becoming president, he served as the first elected Deputy President of Kenya, ...

was elected in 2022 on a platform of fighting corruption.

Honors and awards

* Silver Star Medal by President * E.G.H (Elder of Golden Heart) Medal by President * Africa Tourism Minister 2009. * Best African Minister for Tourism 2010. * Vice-president

UNWTO The United Nations World Tourism Organization or UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which promotes responsible, sustainable and universally-accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. Othe ...

World Tourism Organization * Chairman

World Tourism Organization. * World Travel and Tourism Council WTT Global Champion.

References

External links

*
Scribd account
*
UNWTO Tourism Video Competition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balala, Najib 1967 births Living people Government ministers of Kenya People from Mombasa Hadhrami people Kenyan Muslims Kenyan people of Yemeni descent Alumni of Kakamega School United States International University alumni