List of Positions Retired President Kibaki Held in his Time

Kenya’s third president Emilio Mwai Kibaki died on Friday, April 22.

The retired president will be remembered as probably the best head of state and the man behind the 2010 Constitution.

President Uhuru Kenyatta remembered him as a gentleman and a brilliant debater.

“His contributions as minister of finance and the vice president saw Kenya’s economy grow steadily fuelled by a commodities boom as well as fiscal and monetary policies that were the backbone of his economic philosophy,” said President Uhuru.

During his time in the murky world of politics, Kibaki who died at the age of 90, served in various positions.

Here are some of the positions he held in his time:

President

Kibaki’s most powerful position was that of President of Kenya, which he held for ten years. In 2002, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) nominated him as its presidential candidate.

He went on to win the election, ending the 24-year reign of the late Daniel Arap Moi.

Despite his then-competition, Raila Odinga, disputing the vote, he reclaimed the seat in the 2007 General Election.

During his first tenure, he appointed the late Kijana Wamalwa as Vice President, and during his second term, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka served as Second-in-Command.

Free Primary Education, the Thika Super Highway, and the 2010 Constitution are among his lasting legacy.

Vice President

Following his nomination as Vice President in Moi’s cabinet in 1978, Kibaki held the second most powerful position in the country.

He was replaced by Josephat Njuguna Karanja, who served in the role for ten years.

Moi ousted Kibaki from his position due to ideological differences.

Leader of Opposition

After losing to Moi in the 1997 presidential election, Kibaki became the official leder of the opposition after finishing second in the elections.

He ran on a Democratic Party (DP) ticket in the General Election and received 1,895,527 votes against Moi’s 2,445,801.

Finance Minister

Kibaki served as Minister of Finance in 1969 following appointment by the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.

He was a Member of Parliament at the time, having been elected in Kenya’s first election after independence.

His appointment was based on his background as an economist, having studied at Makerere University and graduated with honors in 1955.

Prior to his appointment, he worked as Tom Mboya’s assistant, and the two are credited with crafting the 1965 Sessional Paper 10, which attempted to create a more fair distribution of resources and expand the country’s economy.

Minister of Home Affairs

While still serving as Vice President, the late President was appointed Minister of Home Affairs in 1982.

Under this jurisdiction, he was in charge of overseeing the country’s correctional services.

Health Minister

Kibaki was demoted from Vice President in 1988 as a result of conflicts with Moi, and also lost the Home Affairs docket.

As a result, he was selected as the county’s Health Minister, a position he held until 1991.

Member of Parliament

In the 1963 elections, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Nairobi’s Donholm Constituency (later renamed Bahati, and now known as Makadara).

Kibaki served as an MP until he retired from active politics in 2013.