Susan Wakarura Kihika is a Kenyan lawyer,

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 first female

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Nakuru County Nakuru County is a county in Kenya. It is county number 32 out of the 47 Kenyan counties. Nakuru County is a host to Kenya's Fourth City – Nakuru City. On 1 December 2021, President Uhuru Kenyatta awarded a City Charter status to Nakuru, ran ...

. She was also among the seven female Governors that were elected in the 9 August

2022 Kenyan general election General elections were held in Kenya on Tuesday, 9 August 2022. Voters elected the President of Kenya, president, governors, Senate of Kenya, senators, members of the National Assembly (Kenya), National Assembly, and members of county assemblie ...

against a total 44 male governors, marking significant progress from the three female governors that had been elected in the 2017 elections. She was elected as a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

in 2017 on 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 ...

as a Majorit
whip
Susan held the position until the 11th of May 2020 when she was replaced by Senator

Irungu Kang'ata Irũngũ Kang'ata is a Kenyan politician. He is the governor of Muranga County. He also is the former senator of Murang'a County, and the former Senate of Kenya Majority Chief Whip, former member of parliament for Kiharu Constituency and a form ...

. Prior to that, she served as the first female speaker of the

Assembly and held the position of the Vice Chair of the County Assemblies Forum (CA

Kihika is a well-known philanthropist who has been involved in community projects and charity work including supporting women groups across the county. She is a strong advocate for the rights and welfare of children, especially those living with disabilities, and the advancement of girl chil
education
Susan Kihika is among the most dignified female

s in th
country
and also the President of th
Susan attended Busara Forest View Academy in Nyahururu">ticket and assumed office on 25 August 2022.

Background and education

Alice, her mother was her father's second wife. Susan attended Busara Forest View Academy in Nyahururu
and Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls High School, Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls’ High School in Nyeri. She then migrated to the United States around 1992, for further education. She was admitted to the University of North Texas, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. In 2006, she graduated with a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from the Law School of

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

, in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, Texas. Subsequently, she was admitted to the Texas Bar, after passing the requisite examinations.

Career before politics

Following her graduation from law school, she worked in the public service. Later she left public service and established ''The Kihika Law Firm'' in

, Texas which specialized mostly in representin
immigrants
In 2012, after 20 years in the United States, Kihika travelled back to

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. ...

Political career

In 2013, she contested the

Bahati Constituency Bahati is a constituency in Kenya. It is one of eleven constituencies in Nakuru County. MPs * Kimani Ngunjiri (2013 to 2022) * Irene Mrembo Njoki Irene Mrembo Njoki (born December 1975), commonly referred to as Irene Njoki, is a Kenyan ...

parliamentary seat but lost to Kiman
Ngunjiri
She vied for the Nakuru County Speaker’s seat where she defeated
opponents
to emerge as the first Assembly Speaker of Nakuru County. In 2017, she contested the

senatorial seat and won on a

ticket as the first female Senator of Nakuru County. Kihika’s vision is to see peaceful coexistence within Nakur
County
She has also been involved in supporting social issues, economic empowerment initiatives and addressin
insecurity
In 2018, Senator Susan Kihika was elected as the first Vice President of the Bureau of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians. In October of the same year, Kihika took over first as the acting President and later as President replacing her predecessor Hon. Ulrik
Karlsson
o
Sweden
On 9 August 2022, she contested for the

Governor and won on a UDA ticket. Susan defeated Lee Kinyanjui who was on a

ticket and became the first woman Governor for Nakuru County. She is commonly referred to by her county people as the "Woman of Firsts".

Family

Kihika was married to Sam Mburu in a traditional wedding on 7 November 2020 in

Nyahururu Nyahururu (formerly known as Thomson Falls) is a town in Kenya, lying north east of Nakuru. The town derives its name from the Maasai word e-naiwurruwurr, meaning waterfall or windy or place of storms. It is located in both Laikipia County and ...

. The ceremony was graced by the fifth President of the Republic of Kenya, Dr. William Samoei Ruto, who also took part in the dowr
negotiations
In March 2025 she got two children, Jonathan and Jayden.

References

External links