Nicholas Biwott
| Nicholas Biwott | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Kipyator Nicholas Kiprono arap Biwott 1940 Chebior village, Keiyo District, Rift Valley Province, Kenya |
| Nationality | Kenyan |
| Other names | Kiprono Kipyator |
| Education | Kapsabet High School |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Occupation |
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Kipyator Nicholas Kiprono arap Biwott (born 1940) is a Kenyan businessman, politician and philanthropist. Biwott has served as a civil servant, Member of Parliament and government minister, during which time he has held eight senior ministerial positions, worked alongside Kenya's first three presidents – Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel arap Moi and Mwai Kibaki – and with many significant public figures in post independence Kenya, including Bruce McKenzie besides Tom Mboya.
Biwott was born in Chebior village, Keiyo District, Rift Valley Province in 1940. His mother Maria Soti and his father Cheserem, a market trader in Eldoret. Cheserem was initially a cattle herder and developed herds of cattle, sheep as well as goats. Biwott grew up herding these flocks in keeping with Kalenjin tradition. As a teenager and young man Biwott worked alongside his father and together they were market traders in Eldoret.
Biwott was a member of parliament for 28 years. In 1974 he ran unsuccessfully as a prospective MP for the Keiyo South Constituency. At the next election in 1979 he was successful, standing on KANU ticket in Keiyo-Marakwet, retaining the seat in 1983 and 1988. In 1992, 1997, and 2002 he was elected the MP for Keiyo South Constituency. In the Parliamentary elections held on 27 December 2007, running on a KANU ticket, he lost his seat to Jackson Kiptanui arap Kamai of the Orange Democratic Party (ODM). The ODM swept to victory in all but one of KANU's seats on the Rift Valley.
Following the 2002 election, Biwott served on the Devolution Committee of the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission. Biwott was the only Member of Parliament, however, he abstained on the Constitutional Referendum held in 2005, stating that the Draft Constitution 'would divide the country along ethnic lines'. The draft Constitution was rejected at the Referendum.
More recently, Biwott has fought an election for leadership of KANU, the former party of government and now the official opposition, following years of decline in KANU political fortunes but lost the post to Uhuru Kenyatta following a decision by the Kenyan High Court.
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