Charity Ngilu: Former Secretary Who Sought to be Kenya’s President

Charity Ngilu is a Kenyan politician and is the immediate former governor for Kitui County.

Background and Family

The veteran politician was born in 1952 in Mbooni.

She was married to Michael Mwendwa Ngilu with whom she had three children; Lunde Jemi Mwendwa, Mwende Ketethia Mwendwa, and Syalo Ngilu.

Mr Mwendwa was also a Kenyan politician and he died in the year 2006 on July 1 in South Africa where he had gone to receive treatment.

He was admitted at the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town South Africa where he died while under treatment.

Education

Ngilu went to Mbooni Intermediate School for her primary school studies.

For her secondary school education, the former county boss went to Alliance Girls and sat for her exams in 1972.

She then joined Kianda College and Government Secretarial College where she trained in managerial and secretarial.

In 1975, she joined the Kenya Institute of Administration and graduated as a certified secretary.

In 2012, Ngilu graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Leadership and Management from St. Paul’s University.

Career

She worked as a secretary for Central Bank of Kenya.

She was also the acting director of a plastics extrusion company.

Politics

She unsuccessfully vied for the presidency in 1997.

She has also served as a health minister and as water and irrigation minister in the late President Mwai Kibaki administration.

Ngilu also served as a cabinet secretary for Land, Housing and Urban Development docket in retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government from 2013 to 2015.

In 2017, she successfully vied for the Kitui gubernatorial seat but gave up her reelection bid in 2022.

She is the NARC party leader.