Michael Wamalwa Kijana
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The Honourable Michael Wamalwa E.G.H. |
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|---|---|
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| 8th Vice President of Kenya | |
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In office 3 January 2003 – 23 August 2003 |
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| President | Mwai Kibaki |
| Preceded by | Musalia Mudavadi |
| Succeeded by | Moody Awori |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Michael Kijana Wamalwa 25 November 1944 Sosio, Kenya |
| Died | 23 August 2003 (aged 58) Hampstead, London, England |
| Nationality | Kenyan |
| Political party | National Rainbow Coalition |
| Alma mater |
Strathmore School King's College London London School of Economics Lincoln's Inn |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer Teacher |
| Cabinet | Minister of Home Affairs |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Michael Kijana Wamalwa (25 November 1944 – 23 August 2003) was a Kenyan politician and, at the time of his death, Kenya's Vice-President.
Michael Christopher Wamalwa Kijana was born in Sosio, a village near Kimilili in Kenya's Bungoma district. Wamalwa was the son of an influential MP, William Wamalwa. He went on to become head boy and the best debater at his secondary school, Strathmore School, won a national essay competition and represented Kenya at a UN student forum. In 1965, he was awarded a commonwealth scholarship to study law at King's College London, graduating with an LLB in 1968 before going on to the London School of Economics. He was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1970. He returned to Kenya that same year, and taught law at the University of Nairobi. Some of the students he taught there were to become his political allies and opponents later on. During this period, he also ran the family farms in the Kitale area, as well as holding several prominent government positions, including general manager of the Kenya Stone Mining Company and director of the Kenya-Japan Association.
Wamalwa's first foray into politics came in Kenya's 1974 parliamentary election. Just 30, his opponents painted him as too young and from too wealthy a background to effectively represent his constituency. His campaign was flashy: it included the use of an aircraft and extravagant public rallies. He finally won a seat in 1979, as a protégé of Masinde Muliro. In the run-up to the first multy-party elections in post-independence Kenya, in 1992, Wamalwa identified with the Ford Kenya faction of the FORD opposition movement. He was elected MP for Saboti Constituency, as well as First Vice Chairman of his party. In January 1994, he became chairman of Ford Kenya following the death of Oginga Odinga. Wamalwa went on to contest the 1997 Kenyan elections as a leader of the opposition, but he fared badly and came only fourth in the nationwide tally of votes.Though he may of lost he never gave up and continued to try using his amazing can do attitude.
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