Kenneth Matiba

Kenneth Matiba is a Kenyan politician. He was the second-place candidate in the 1992 presidential election.

Matiba became a senior civil servant at a young age of 28. Even before Kenya attained its independence in 1963, Matiba had already joined the high echelons of the Kenya's civil service becoming the first African Permanent Secretary for Education. Matiba was the fair-eyed boy of Carey Francis the Head Master of Alliance High School who lobbied for his promotion to the Permanent Secretary's position. Matiba's star continued to shine in the post-colonial period helped by his connections with the prominent Kiambu family of Musa Gitau who was one of the first Africans to become the Minister of the Presbyterian Church in Kenya. Matiba's wife Edith is Musa Gitau's daughter. Musa Gitau had a hand in molding the early life of Jomo Kenyatta having taught him at the PCEA Center at Thogoto Kikuyu.In the corrupt and patron-client reward system that Kenyatta established after independence such connections were vital for one to succeed in public career or in business. Matiba was to later abandon his civil service career to venture into Hotel hospitality industry. He established the Alliance Group of Hostels setting his base at South Coast. He also invested in high cost private schools the Hill Crest.

Kenneth Matiba was the chairman of Kenya Football Federation from 1974 to 1978. He was elected to the Kenyan Parliament at the 1983 general elections from Mbiri Constituency (later renamed Kiharu Constituency) in Muranga District.Center for Multiparty Democracy: [http://www.cmd.or.ke/images/Politics%20and%20Paliamenterians%20in%20Kenya.pdf: Politics and Parliamenterians in Kenya 1944-2007] ] He served as a Minister of Transport and Communications, under the KANU administration led by then president Daniel arap Moi, but Matiba resigned from his post in December 1988.

At Moi's instructions Matiba was detained at the Kamiti Maximum Security Prison in 1990 without trial. He was imprisoned together with Charles Rubia, another leading figure calling for multiparty democracy. [Amnesty USA, February 7 1991: [http://www.amnestyusa.org/regions/africa/document.do?id=578E73685AA90B91802569A6006007FC Medical Concern: Kenneth Matiba] ] Whilst there Matiba was refused medication and suffered a massive stroke, which affected half of his body and incapacitated him for some time. Later, a multiparty system was inaugurated and Matiba was released.

He was part of the opposition alliance that formed the popular movement by the name FORD. During the December 1992 election, he was the candidate of FORD-Asili, a party that he had helped found by splintering from the original FORD. President Moi won the elections on KANU's ticket, while Matiba placed second. Matiba won Kiharu Constituency parliamentary seat at the parliamentary elections held concurrently.b]

Matiba boycotted the December 1997 election, citing lack of democracy, and even burned his voter's card. [The Standard, November 26 2006: [http://eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143961617 Anxiety over return of Kenneth Matiba] ]

Matiba has a long-standing rivalry with the current Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki. Before the December 2002 election, Matiba was leader of the small Saba Saba Asili party, which declined to join the NARC coalition. [The Standard, November 26 2006: [http://eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143961618 Why former Kiharu MP will never forgive Kibaki] ] Matiba did not run for the presidency or for a parliamentary seat.

More recently, Matiba has been dogged by ill-health which stemmed from his imprisonment years before. Additionally, his business empire has suffered with first his hotel chain briefly being taken into administration, although he has since regained control, and then his Hillcrest schools being sold by administrators, a case which is still in court.

Matiba is also founder of "The People" newspaper. It started as a weekly in 1992, but turned to daily in 1998. The paper is one problem contributing to Matiba's troubled finances. [ [http://www.pressreference.com/Gu-Ku/Kenya.html KENYA Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers] ]

As of 2008, he is still the chairman of Saba Saba Asili. In addition, he has re-registered as a voter. [Daily Nation, September 29 2007: [http://politics.nationmedia.com/inner.asp?sid=632 Anxiety grips Murang'a as Matiba gets new voter's card] ] In November 2007, he announced that he would be a presidential candidate in the December 2007 election. [The Standard, November 16 2007: [http://www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143977528 Matiba set to contest presidency] ] He placed seventh with 8,046 votes.

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