Uhuru Kenyatta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Uhuru Kenyatta
CGH
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Kenyatta in 2020
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| 4th President of Kenya | |
| In office 9 April 2013 – 13 September 2022 |
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| Deputy | William Ruto |
| Preceded by | Mwai Kibaki |
| Succeeded by | William Ruto |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Kenya | |
| In office 13 April 2008 – 9 April 2013 Serving with Musalia Mudavadi
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| President | Mwai Kibaki |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 23 January 2009 – 26 January 2012 |
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| Prime Minister | Raila Odinga |
| Preceded by | John Michuki |
| Succeeded by | Robinson Michael Githae |
| Minister of Trade | |
| In office 13 April 2008 – 23 January 2009 |
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| Prime Minister | Raila Odinga |
| Preceded by | Mukhisa Kituyi |
| Succeeded by | Amos Kimunya |
| Minister of Local Government | |
| In office 8 January 2008 – 13 April 2008 |
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| President | Mwai Kibaki |
| Preceded by | Musikari Kombo |
| Succeeded by | Musalia Mudavadi |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 1 January 2003 – 30 December 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Mwai Kibaki |
| Succeeded by | Raila Odinga |
| Member of Parliament for Gatundu South |
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| In office 9 January 2003 – 28 March 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Moses Mwihia |
| Succeeded by | Jossy Ngugi |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta
26 October 1961 Nairobi, Kenya Colony |
| Political party | Kenya African National Union (Before 2012) The National Alliance (2012–2016) Jubilee (2016–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Jubilee Alliance (2013–2016) |
| Spouse |
Margaret Gakuo
(m. 1991) |
| Children | Jomo Kenyatta, Ngina Kenyatta, Jaba Kenyatta |
| Parents |
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| Education | Amherst College (BA) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | (archived) |
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician. He served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Uhuru is the son of Jomo Kenyatta, who was Kenya's first president. Before becoming president, he was the Deputy Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013.
Uhuru Kenyatta was chosen by former President Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor. However, he lost the 2002 election to Mwai Kibaki. Kenyatta served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Gatundu South from 2002 to 2013. He was also Deputy Prime Minister alongside Raila Odinga from 2008 to 2013.
He is currently a member and leader of the Jubilee Party of Kenya. Before this, he was part of the Kenya Africa National Union (KANU). KANU was the party that led Kenya to independence in 1963. In 2012, he left KANU and joined The National Alliance (TNA). TNA was one of the parties that helped him win the 2013 election. Later, TNA merged with the United Republican Party (URP), led by William Ruto, to form the Jubilee Party.
Kenyatta was re-elected for his second term in the August 2017 general elections. He won with 54% of the votes. The election results were announced by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). However, his win was challenged in the Supreme Court of Kenya by his main opponent, Raila Odinga. On 1 September 2017, the court cancelled the election results. It ordered a new presidential election within 60 days. The new election was held on 26 October, and he won again.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Uhuru Kenyatta was born on 26 October 1961. His father was Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president. His mother was Mama Ngina Kenyatta. He is the second child in his family. He has two sisters, Christine and Anna, and a brother, Muhoho.
His family belongs to the Kikuyu ethnic group. His name "Uhuru" means "freedom" in Swahili. He was given this name because Kenya was about to become independent. Uhuru went to St Mary's School in Nairobi. For a short time between 1979 and 1980, he worked as a teller at the Kenya Commercial Bank.
After school, Uhuru studied economics, political science, and government. He attended Amherst College in the United States. After graduating, Uhuru returned to Kenya. He started a company called Wilham Kenya Limited. This company bought and sold agricultural products.
Beginning His Political Journey
Uhuru was chosen to be a Member of Parliament in 1999. He then became the Minister for Local Government under President Daniel Arap Moi. Even though he was new to politics, Moi favored him as his successor. Kenyatta ran as the KANU party's candidate in the December 2002 presidential election. However, he lost to the opposition candidate Mwai Kibaki. After this, he became the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
He supported Mwai Kibaki for re-election in the December 2007 presidential election. In January 2008, President Kibaki made him Minister of Local Government. In April 2008, he became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade. This was part of a new government that shared power.
Later, Uhuru Kenyatta served as Minister of Finance from 2009 to 2012. He remained Deputy Prime Minister during this time. He was accused by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of being involved in violence after the 2007 election. He resigned as Minister of Finance on 26 January 2012. He was elected as President of Kenya in the March 2013 presidential election. He won against Raila Odinga by a small number of votes.
Key Political Moments
In the 1997 general election, Uhuru Kenyatta tried to win the Gatundu South Constituency parliamentary seat. This seat was once held by his father. But he lost to Moses Mwihia.
In 1999, President Moi appointed Uhuru to lead the Kenya Tourism Board. In 2001, he became a Member of Parliament. He also joined the Cabinet as Minister for Local Government. He was later elected as the First Vice Chairman of KANU.
In 2002, President Moi chose Uhuru Kenyatta as KANU's presidential candidate. This decision caused many other politicians to leave the party. Many people thought Moi wanted Uhuru to be a puppet leader. They believed Moi wanted to still control the country even after retiring.
Uhuru came in second to Mwai Kibaki in the General Elections. He received 31% of the votes. He accepted his defeat and became the Leader of the Opposition.
In January 2005, Uhuru Kenyatta won the chairmanship of KANU. He defeated Nicholas Biwott. Uhuru led his party, KANU, in the campaigns against the draft constitution in 2005. He worked with the Liberal Democratic Party. This group was against the Kibaki government. Together, they formed the Orange Democratic Movement. They successfully voted against the new constitution. This was a big political setback for President Mwai Kibaki.
In November 2006, Nicholas Biwott replaced Kenyatta as KANU leader. But on 28 December 2006, the High Court of Kenya put Uhuru Kenyatta back as KANU chairman. The court confirmed him as party leader on 28 June 2007.
Before the 2007 general election, KANU joined a group called the Party of National Unity (PNU). This group supported President Mwai Kibaki for re-election. PNU won the 2007 elections, but there were disputes over the results. This led to the 2007–08 Kenyan crisis.
To end the chaos, Kibaki and Odinga agreed to share power. Kibaki remained president, and Raila became Prime Minister. Uhuru Kenyatta was chosen by Kibaki to be Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance.
On 13 September 2007, Uhuru Kenyatta decided not to run in the December 2007 presidential election. He supported Kibaki instead. He said he would not run unless he was sure he could win.
After the election, Kibaki appointed Kenyatta as Minister for Local Government on 8 January 2008. This happened amid claims of fraud from Raila Odinga. After Kibaki and Odinga agreed to share power, Kenyatta became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade on 13 April 2008. He was part of the Grand Coalition Cabinet. He was the Deputy Prime Minister for PNU. Musalia Mudavadi was the other Deputy Prime Minister, representing ODM.
Kenyatta and the rest of the Cabinet were sworn in on 17 April. Uhuru Kenyatta later became Minister for Finance on 23 January 2009. During his time, he introduced new ways of managing government money. These included the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS).
In 2013, Uhuru Kenyatta was elected as the 4th President of Kenya. He ran under The National Alliance (TNA) party. TNA was part of the Jubilee Alliance with William Ruto's United Republican Party (URP). Uhuru and Ruto won 50.07% of the votes. Their closest rivals were Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka.
Raila Odinga challenged the election results in the Supreme Court of Kenya. However, the Supreme Court ruled that Uhuru's election was valid. They said any problems did not change the final outcome. Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in as president on 9 April 2013.
Uhuru ran for president in the elections on 4 March 2013. He received 6,173,433 votes, which was 50.03% of the total. This was just enough to win in the first round. He was declared the fourth President of Kenya.
Raila Odinga received 5,340,546 votes (43.4%). His party, CORD, challenged Uhuru's election in the Supreme Court of Kenya on 10 March 2013.
On 30 March 2013, Chief Justice Willy Mutunga announced the Supreme Court's decision. They all agreed that Uhuru Kenyatta's election was valid. On 11 August 2017, Uhuru was re-elected for a second term. This was during the 2017 Kenyan general election. He won with 54% of the popular vote. This result was later cancelled by the court. A second election was held, which Uhuru Kenyatta won with 98% of the vote.
On 9 March 2018, Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga agreed to a truce. This was a big moment for Kenya's politics. On 27 November 2019, Uhuru Kenyatta launched the Building Bridges Initiatives (BBI). This was a result of the truce with Raila Odinga. It aimed to make some changes to the Kenyan Constitution.
The National Alliance Party (TNA)
On 20 May 2012, Uhuru Kenyatta attended the launch of The National Alliance party. This event was held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre. His presence showed that he would seek the party's presidential nomination. He wanted to run for president in the 2013 General Elections.
Many important people attended the launch. They included the Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Eugene Wamalwa and MP William Ruto. Over 70 Members of Parliament were also there.
Speeches at the launch focused on important topics for Kenya. These included the need for a strong economy and protecting people's rights. They also talked about peaceful living and committed leadership. Speakers stressed the need for young, skilled leaders. They called for fair elections and an end to political divisions. Machel Waikenda led the media and communications for the party during the 2013 elections.
Party Performance in By-Elections
On 17 September 2012, The National Alliance party faced its first big test. It competed in by-elections for 17 seats. These included 3 parliamentary and 14 local government seats. TNA won the most votes, getting 38.89% of the total. The Orange Democratic Movement was second with 33.7%.
TNA won seats in 7 different counties. Its closest rival, ODM, won seats in 4 counties. The National Alliance Party became a strong contender for the next year's general elections. Many politicians from other parties joined TNA. The success of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto helped TNA's standing.
In January 2013, TNA merged with URP. They formed the Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP).
2013 Presidential Election
Uhuru Kenyatta's party, The National Alliance (TNA), joined with other parties. These included William Ruto's United Republican Party (URP). They formed the Jubilee Alliance coalition. Before the election, polls showed Uhuru and his Jubilee Alliance were very popular. The other strong group was the Coalition For Reform and Democracy (CORD), led by Raila Odinga.
Uhuru Kenyatta was officially declared the president-elect on Saturday, 9 March, at 2:44 pm.
According to the official results, Uhuru received 6,173,433 votes. This was 50.51% of the total valid votes. This was more than the 50% plus one vote needed to win. So, he became the president-elect. Raila Odinga came in second with 5,340,546 votes (43.7%).
Challenging the Results
Some people were not happy with the official results. This was especially true in areas where Raila Odinga had strong support. There were delays in releasing the results. Also, some election equipment failed. This made people think the election might not have been completely fair.
Two groups challenged the results in the Supreme Court of Kenya. These groups were the Coalition For Reform and Democracy (CORD), led by Raila Odinga, and the Africa Centre for Open Governance (AFRICOG). Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate were involved in these cases.
Supreme Court Decision
The Supreme Court judges all agreed to uphold Uhuru Kenyatta's election. They rejected Raila Odinga's challenge. Chief Justice Willy Mutunga said the elections followed the Constitution and the law.
Presidential Swearing-in
After the Supreme Court confirmed the election results, the swearing-in ceremony took place. It was held on 9 April 2013, at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, Nairobi.
Uhuru Kenyatta's Presidency (2013–2022)
In his first speech as president, Uhuru promised to improve Kenya's economy. He aimed for unity among all Kenyans. He also promised free maternal care and better education. On 1 June, during the Madaraka Day celebrations, he announced free maternal care in all public health facilities. Many Kenyans welcomed this decision.
On 1 September 2017, the Supreme Court of Kenya cancelled Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had announced him as the winner on 8 August 2017. Because of this, a new election was needed. It was set for 26 October 2017. After the new election, Uhuru Kenyatta won again.
He was sworn in on 28 November 2017 for his second term as president.
In 2021, Kenya faced a severe drought. The UN reported that over 465,000 children under five were malnourished. More than 2.5 million people in the country did not have enough food. Uhuru Kenyatta called it a "national disaster." However, some criticized his government for being slow to help and for not planning well.
In October 2021, the Mukuru Kwa Njenga slum in Nairobi was torn down. This was to make way for a wider road. About 40,000 people lost their homes overnight. They were not offered other places to live.
Challenges During His Presidency
His government faced several big challenges. These included the high cost of living and increasing national debt. There was also a high cost for government salaries. And there were claims of corruption among people in his government. The 2017 general election and the violence that followed also created problems for his presidency.
Public Salaries
The high cost of public salaries was a big problem for Uhuru's government. When he started his term, he noted that salaries were 12% of the country's total economic output. In 2015, he said salaries were 50% of the government's yearly tax collection. To try and reduce this, the President and his Cabinet took a 20% pay cut in March 2014. He hoped other high-earning government workers would do the same, but they did not.
He also ordered a check of government payrolls to find "ghost workers." These are people who are paid but do not actually work. The check found 12,000 ghost workers. Meanwhile, lower-paid government workers, like teachers and health workers, demanded higher pay. They went on strikes to get their demands met.
Fighting Corruption
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On 28 June 2018, Kenyatta announced a major effort to fight corruption. He stated that no one was safe from corruption charges in Kenya. He even said his own brother, Muhoho, should be charged if there was clear evidence against him. Muhoho was a director in a company accused of importing illegal sugar.
Many officials and businesspeople were arrested on corruption charges. These included the chairman of the National Land Commission and the managing director of the Kenya Railways Corporation. These arrests were related to land allocation for the Nairobi-Mombasa railway. In December 2018, the CEO of the Kenya Pipeline Company was arrested. In July 2019, Kenya's finance minister Henry Rotich was arrested for corruption. He was the first sitting minister to be arrested for such charges. In December 2019, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko was also arrested on corruption charges.
In May 2020, a big step in fighting corruption happened. 40 civil servants and 14 private sector officials were arrested. These arrests were linked to the National Youth Service scandal.
In October 2021, Uhuru Kenyatta's name appeared in the Pandora Papers. This leak showed that he and six family members had at least $30 million in offshore companies. He also owned a secret 'foundation' in Panama.
International Relations
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As President, Kenyatta's international relations were largely affected by the ICC case. At first, his relations with Western countries were expected to be difficult. This was because Western countries had warned Kenyans not to elect him. However, his relationship with the West improved. He attended the US-Africa summit and a Somalia summit in the United Kingdom. The ICC accused his government of making it hard for them to investigate his case. But they said the President himself was not involved in stopping the investigation.
Kenyatta was very active in African affairs. He pushed for more trade within Africa. He also promoted economic independence for African nations. In November 2014, he started discussions to change the United Nations Security Council. He wanted Africa to have a stronger voice in the council. He successfully united the African Union (AU) against the ICC. The AU decided that African leaders who were currently in office should not have to appear before the ICC. The AU also asked the Security Council to stop his trial at the ICC.
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Kenyatta led peace talks in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In East Africa, he built strong relationships with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. They formed the Coalition of the Willing. This group within the EAC signed more joint development and economic agreements than other EAC partners. This included a shared tourist visa.
He attended the funeral of Nelson Mandela and was warmly welcomed. He also attended the funeral of President Michael Sata of Zambia. His government also had closer ties with China. China funded many of Kenya's infrastructure projects.
Presidential Trips Abroad
Uhuru Kenyatta traveled a lot as president. By November 2015, he had visited other countries 43 times in about three years. This was more than his predecessor, Mwai Kibaki, who traveled 33 times in 10 years. The president's team defended these trips. They said the trips brought more benefits to Kenya than they cost taxpayers.
Public Opinion and Approval
In his first year, his government received low ratings from the public. A poll showed that more than half of Kenyans were unhappy with how the government was doing. However, the presidency was still seen as the second most trusted institution after the media. After he appeared at The Hague for his ICC case in October 2014, his approval ratings went up to 71%.
In 2015, his approval ratings dropped to 33%. This was due to claims of corruption against some people in his government. By February 2017, his numbers had risen to 57%. In 2018, his approval ratings increased to 74%. This was because of new efforts to fight corruption.
Awards and Honors
National Honors
Kenya:
Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya
Foreign Honors
Barbados:
Honorary Member of the Order of Freedom of Barbados (FB) (6 October 2021)
Namibia:
First Class of the Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia mirabilis (21 March 2019)
Serbia:
Order of the Republic of Serbia, Second Class (2016)
Portugal:
Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (28 June 2022)
Burundi:
National Order of the Republic (7 July 2022)
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Awards
- 2013, Youngest Kenyan President, Guinness World Records
- 2015, Africa's President of the Year 2014–2015, African Union
- 2015, ICTs in Sustainable Development Award, International Telecommunication Union
- 2017, Most Severe Plastic Bag Penalty, Guinness World Records
- 2017, Mandela Peace Prize, Mandela Institute of Paris
- 2018, Babacar Ndiaye Award, Africa Road Builders
- 2018, World 1st Blue Economy Conference Award, African Union Commission
- 2019, Political Leadership award for universal health coverage, African Union Access Challenge
- 2022, African Gender Award, African Union
See also
In Spanish: Uhuru Kenyatta para niños
- Presidency of Uhuru Kenyatta
- List of heads of state of Kenya
- 2013 Kenyan general election
- 2017 Kenyan general election
