The hotly contested and lucrative Kenya’s political seats have seen PhD holders quit lucrative careers to join politics. Every electioneering period, Kenyan politics has continued to attract professionals. Many politicians have left lucrative jobs to pursue a career in politics.
Some of Kenya’s most knowledgeable citizens have served in Parliament, including doctors, lawyers, teachers, and journalists.
Jambo Daily investigates how a few of these individuals rose to the rank of honorable members.
Kenya’s PhD Holders who quit Professions to join Politics
1. Professor Kithure Kindiki
Prof Kindiki also taught international law at the University of Nairobi and Moi University.
He was elected to the Tharaka-Nithi Senate seat in 2013 and served as majority leader from 2013 to 2017. In the 2017 general election, he was re-elected as a senator.
His bid to be Kenya Kwanza’s presidential running mate in 2022 fell through when Deputy President William Ruto chose Rigathi Gachagua. He was however appointed to a powerful ministerial position after William Ruto became president.
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2. Professor George Saitoti
The late Professor George Saitoti is the country’s longest Vice President, who served during the reign of late President Daniel Arap Moi. He was appointed in 1988 and has since held a number of ministerial positions.
In 1972, Prof. Saitoti earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Warwick. He published a thesis on mathematics and became one of the country’s first holders of a doctorate in mathematics.
Prior to entering politics, Saitoti was the head of the University of Nairobi’s Mathematics department. He was also the World Bank’s and the International Monetary Fund’s Executive Chairman.
Prof Saitoti died in June 2012, while serving as Kenya’s Interior Minister, when a Kenya Police plane carrying him crashed in Kibiku.
3. Prof. Sam Ongeri
Prof. Sam Ongeri, a former Kisii senator, was first elected to a political seat in 1988 as the Member of Parliament for Nyaribari Masaba, and his political career has since grown.