Mvurya Salim Mgala (born 1970) is a Kenyan politician and Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs. He became the first governor of

Kwale County Kwale County is a county in the former Coast Province of Kenya. Its capital is Kwale, although Ukunda is the largest town. Kwale County has an estimated population of 866,820. Kwale is mainly an inland county, but has a coastline south of ...

, Kenya after winning in the 2013 general elections. He vied on an Orange Democratic Movement ticket but later joined the

Jubilee Party of Kenya 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 ...

. It was announced on 30 August 2017 that he will be named Chairman of Kenya's Council of Governors. Unfortunately he didn't get to, instead governor Wycliffe Oparanya took over from NANOK. In October 2022, he was appointed the Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary.

Education

Salim Mvurya was born at Kadzandani Village, Kinango District of

. He went to Mavirivirini Primary School in 1979 then Mpeketoni Secondary School from 1987 to 1990. He then proceeded to

Egerton University Egerton University is a public university in Kenya. It is the oldest institution of higher education in Kenya. Location The main campus of the university is located in Njoro, a small community approximately , southwest of the town of Nakuru. T ...

for his first degree and graduated with Bachelors in Agri-Business Management in 1996. He holds a master's degree in Participation, Power and Social Change from the

Institute of Development Studies An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

, in England, UK. He also has further certificates in

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

management from MS-TCDC in

Arusha Arusha is a city in Tanzania. The city is the Capital city, capital of the Arusha Region. It has a population of 617,631 people.

, Tanzania.

Career

Salim Mvurya has 17 years of social development and leadership experience. In the year 2008, he was appointed to be the Acting Country Director for Plan Kenya. Other organizations he has worked for include the

Aga Khan Foundation The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a private, not-for-profit international development agency, which was founded in 1967 by Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, the 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. AKF seeks to provide long-ter ...

and Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development (an institute of

). Some of the programs he implemented were funded by

DFID The Department for International Development (DFID) was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom, from 1997 to 2020. It was responsible for administering foreign aid ...

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

, Ministries of Foreign Affairs in Netherlands and Finland, and

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ; , CDAAN), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and pr ...

, Norway.

Politics

In the 2013 general elections, Mvurya ran for Kwale governorship on an ODM ticket with Fatuma Achani as his running mate. His rivals were James Dena, Kassima Rigga Mambo, Simeon Mwero Mkalla and Mwarapayo Mohammed Mwachai. Mvurya won by more than half the votes cast. In May 2014, Mvurya ousted Nairobi governor

Evans Kidero Evans Odhiambo Kidero (born 20 May 1957) is a Kenyan politician and former Governor of Nairobi County. He was CEO of Mumias Sugar Company for 8 years, resigning in 2012 to join elective politics. Early life Kidero was born in Majengo, Nairobi, ...

to become vice chairman of the Council of Governors. On 29 September 2014 while at a rally with

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 ...

in Kinango, Mvurya and Odinga were attacked by an elderly man who hit them on their backs with a stick. The security detail at the rally quickly subdued the man who was later released after it was established that he was mentally unstable. After several months of speculation, Mvurya announced in September 2016 that he was leaving ODM and that he would run on a

Jubilee Alliance The Jubilee Alliance was a political alliance in Kenya. History The alliance was established to support the joint presidential election ticket of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto in the 2013 general elections. At the time of the election, its mem ...

ticket in the 2017 general elections. His deputy, Fatuma Achani, had cited interference from other county chiefs in Kwale politics. Rumors had also been rife that senior officers in ODM had conspired to deny him the 2017 ODM ticket for what they termed as his refusal to be loyal to them and also for working with Jubilee. On 30 August 2017,> Kenya's Council of Governors agreed to elect Mvurya as the council's Chairman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mvurya, Salim 1970 births Living people County governors of Kenya Jubilee Party politicians People from Kwale County