Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development nominee Mutahi Kagwe has revealed his net worth.
While speaking before the parliamentary committee on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, Mutahi Kagwe revealed that his net worth currently stands at Ksh. 842 million.
He clarified that his wealth is made up of assets, real estate, pieces of land and wealth accumulated over years.
“Mr Chairman my net worth currently would me around Ksh842 million shillings essentially made up of my assets real estate, pieces of land here and there accumulated over many years,” stated Mutahi Kagwe.
He also stated that he has never been convicted of a criminal offence and never has he been mentioned adversely in a parliamentary committee.
Other cabinet nominees to be vetted include William Kabogo who has been nominated for the Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy and Lee Kinyanjui nominated for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.
President William Ruto nominated Mutahi Kagwe to be the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture. If approved, he will succeed Dr. Andrew Karanja who was picked as Kenya’s ambassador to Brazil.
Mutahi Kagwe served as Cabinet Secretary for Health in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration.
He was Health CS when the country was facing the COVID-19 pandemic. He played a key role in giving regular updates and spearheading Kenya’s COVID-19 response mechanisms which earned him the moniker ‘waziri wa Korona’.
Mutahi’s political career goes a long way back.
Early life and Education
Mutahi Kagwe was born and raised in Mukurweini, Nyeri County. He attended Kihate Primary School before joining Kagumo High School for his O levels.
He then proceeded to university, where he joined the University of Nairobi in 1978. Here, he pursued a bachelor’s degree in insurance law and graduated in the year 1981.
Later on, he pursued a master’s in business administration at the United States International University-Africa (USIU). This was between 2002 and 2007.
Mutahi Kagwe Career
Before venturing into politics, Mutahi worked at the Standard Group in the advertising department. He served in the position of commercial director in the period between 1987 and 1989.
Kagwe’s political career took off in 2002 when he became the Member of Parliament for Mukurweini Constituency under the National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (Narc) party ticket.
During this period, he served as the Chair of the Finance, Trade, Tourism and Planning Committee.
In 2005, he was appointed as a Cabinet Minister for Information Communication and Technology (ICT) by former President Mwai Kibaki. During his tenure in this ministry, Kenya made a significant milestone in technology, moving from satellite technology to Fibre Optic Cables and the launch of Safaricom’s mobile transfer system, M-Pesa.
In 2007, Kagwe vied for MP in Mukwereini for a second time but was unsuccessful. After being beaten by Kabando Wa Kabando, he retreated to a private life until 2013.
Kagwe made a political comeback in 2013 when he was elected the first Senator for Nyeri County. During his tenure, he chaired the Senate Committee on Information and Technology, and was a member of the Committee of
Finance and Budget, and the Liaison Committee.
He took a shot at the Nyeri gubernatorial seat in 2017 but lost to the late Wahome Gakuru. He retreated to a private life once again until his appointment to the board of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), in October 2019.
He continued to serve at the board until February 2020, when former President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him the Cabinet Secretary for Health.
His tenure as CS for health is uniquely marked by the arrival of COVID 19 pandemic in Kenya. The pandemic that saw more than 5,000 people lose their lives, set foot into the country a month into his appointment.
During this period, he spearheaded Kenya’s COVID-19 response mechanisms and gave regular updates on infections, fatalities and new updates regarding the virus.
Mutahi has since retreated to a private life and running his private business.
Family
The former CS is married to the former Minister for Environment the Late John Michuki’s daughter Anne Wanjiku Mutahi. They have four children and among them is the Kenyan rapper, Kahu Mburu otherwise known as Kahush.
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