Moïse Katumbi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Moïse Katumbi
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| Governor of Katanga Province | |
| In office January 2007 – 29 September 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Kisula Ngoy |
| Succeeded by | Guilbert Paul Yav Tshibal (interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 December 1964 Kashobwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Political party | Together for the Republic |
| Other political affiliations |
Ensemble (before 2015) Independent (2015–18) Together for Change (2018–present) |
| Spouse | Carine Katumbi |
Moïse Katumbi Chapwe (born 28 December 1964) is a businessman and politician from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He leads the Together for the Republic political party. He served as the Governor of Katanga Province in the southern DRC from 2007 to September 2015. He was once a member of the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD). Many people consider him a very powerful figure in the DRC. In 2015, Jeune Afrique magazine named him "African of the Year."
Contents
About Moïse Katumbi
Early Life and Family
Moïse Katumbi was born on December 28, 1964. His mother was from Zambia, and his father was a Sephardic Jewish man from Greece. His father moved to the Belgian Congo (now the DRC) in 1938 to escape unfair laws.
Katumbi grew up in a village called Kashobwe, near Lake Mweru and the border with Zambia. His father worked in the fishing business. Moïse Katumbi went to school in Lubumbashi. He is married to Carine Katumbi.
Business Ventures
Moïse Katumbi started his business career at just 13 years old. He sold fish to a large mining company. In 1987, he created a company called Etablissement Katumbi. This company managed his different businesses, including mining, transportation, and food processing.
In 1997, Katumbi started MCK (Mining Company Katanga). This company focused on mining and moving goods. It worked for other mining companies in the region. By 2015, MCK had 1,900 employees and was a major mining company in the DRC. A French company bought MCK in November 2015.
Around 2000, Katumbi moved to Zambia for a short time because of a war in the DRC. He returned to the DRC in 2003. He was asked by the president to help improve the mining industry in Katanga.
Love for Football
Since 1997, Moïse Katumbi has been the president of the football (soccer) team TP Mazembe. The team is based in Lubumbashi. Under his leadership, TP Mazembe has won the CAF Champions League five times. They were also the first African team to play in the FIFA Club World Cup finals in 2010.
Katumbi has invested a lot of money in the team. Many people believe his support is a big reason for the club's success. He helped build a new stadium for the team, which was finished in 2011. He also started a football academy in 2012. This academy helps train young people in Katanga province. In 2015, about 2,000 young men were part of the academy.
Katumbi has also held important roles in international football. He was elected to the FIFA strategic commission in 2012. In 2013, he joined the Africa Cup of Nations organizing committee.
Political Journey
Serving as Governor
In 2006, Moïse Katumbi was elected to the National Assembly. In January 2007, he became the first democratically elected Governor of Katanga Province. He received a large majority of the votes.
As governor, Katumbi helped the province's economy grow. He worked to improve roads and other important structures. He also encouraged foreign companies to invest in Katanga by offering tax breaks. His efforts helped local taxes increase significantly. For example, copper production in the province grew a lot during his time as governor.
Katumbi also focused on other parts of the economy, like services, energy, and farming. He offered free farmland and tax breaks to farmers. This helped the province grow more of its own food. The amount of food grown locally tripled by 2014.
His administration also made big improvements in daily life. They built or rebuilt over 1,500 kilometers of roads. They also improved bridges, hospitals, and schools. Access to clean water increased greatly. The number of children attending school also grew from 400,000 in 2007 to 3 million in 2014.
National Politics and Challenges
In September 2015, Katumbi resigned as governor. He also left his political party at the time. In 2016, he faced legal issues and was sentenced to prison while he was not in the country. Many people believed these legal problems were politically motivated. A church committee later investigated the case and suggested he should be allowed to return to the DRC freely.
Presidential Elections
On January 2, 2018, Katumbi announced he would run for president in the 2018 DRC general election. Soon after, his home was surrounded by police. He was accused of hiring mercenaries, which he denied. In March 2018, he officially launched his presidential campaign with a new political group called Ensemble pour le changement (Together for Change).
During the campaign, Katumbi faced more challenges. He was accused of causing rebellion. There were also attempts to attack his home. He tried to enter the DRC from Zambia in August 2018 but was blocked. His name was not on the final list of candidates for the December 2018 election because he could not return to the country to file his papers.
In July 2021, a new law was proposed that would require presidential candidates to have two Congolese parents. This would have made Katumbi unable to run in the 2023 election because his father was of Greek origin. However, this law did not pass.
In December 2021, Katumbi officially launched his political party for the 2023 presidential election. In July 2023, a spokesman for his party was sadly shot and killed. In the December 2023 presidential election, Katumbi finished second. He disagreed with the official results, saying there was "massive fraud." He called for the head of the election commission to resign. In January 2024, he was reportedly placed under house arrest.
Political Beliefs
Moïse Katumbi supported Joseph Kabila for president in 2006 and 2011. However, he later disagreed with Kabila in 2015. Katumbi strongly believed that President Kabila should follow the country's constitution and step down in 2016. In January 2016, Katumbi joined a group called "Front Citoyen 2016." This group worked to protect the constitution and make sure the 2016 presidential elections happened.
He is against the idea of Katanga province separating from the rest of Congo. He has often said that he prefers his business career over politics.
Public Opinion
Many people in Katanga Province and across the DRC view Moïse Katumbi positively. They appreciate his work in developing the Katanga region and his leadership of the TP Mazembe football team. He is known for being generous and investing his own money in social projects.
The media often describes Katumbi as a "self-made man" and a "man of the people." In 2011, almost a million people signed a petition asking him to stay as governor when he considered leaving. In 2012, he was named one of "The 50 most influential Africans" by The Africa Report.
See also
In Spanish: Moïse Katumbi Chapwe para niños
