Irungu Nyakera
Irungu Nyakera | |
|---|---|
| Patron Irungu Nyakera Foundation | |
| In office July 2018 – Present | |
| Principal Secretary Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure | |
| In office December 2015 – June 2018 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 May 1982 Murang'a, Kenya |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Deerfield Academy Stanford University |
Wilson Irungu Nyakera also known as Irungu Nyakera (born 13 May 1982) is a Stanford-educated technocrat who has served in various leadership roles in banks both locally and abroad. He was appointed as Principal Secretary, State Department of Transport, Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development by the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta in December 2015.[1]
Early life
Nyakera was born in Murang'a County to a single mother, Nancy Njoki Wairugu, who later settled in Kinyago slums in Eastleigh of Nairobi area where she worked as a casual laborer.
Education
Nyakera was raised in a strict family and, thanks to his mother's "street connections," he was enrolled in Class One in January 1989 at the prestigious Starehe Boys' Centre and School in Nairobi on a full scholarship from Save the Children Fund Austria and Save the Children Fund British Columbia, Canada. In 1991, his mother passed away, leaving Nyakera, then 8 years old, and his two younger sisters, Joyce (4) and Eunice (1 month old), in the care of their maternal grandparents. Nyakera's grandfather passed away in 1996 after contracting cerebral malaria, leaving him in the care of his grandmother, Joyce Wambui Wairugu. Thanks to the scholarship, Nyakera's education remained uninterrupted by his mother's death. He sat for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination in 1996, before joining Form One at the prestigious Starehe Boys' Centre and School, where he later served as School Captain. He sat for his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in 2000. In 2002, he worked as an untrained teacher at Nyahururu Elite Schools while awaiting university admission. He had secured a place at Nairobi University to study medicine, but Dr. Geoffrey William Griffin, Founder and then Director of Starehe Boys' Centre and School, offered Nyakera a full scholarship to attend Deerfield Academy as a gap-year student. Nyakera attended Deerfield in 2002–2003 before joining Stanford University for his university education under a full scholarship from an anonymous sponsor. Nyakera attended Stanford University in California, USA, from 2003 to 2007, graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering, Management Science and Engineering (Finance and Decision Engineering option). While at Stanford, Nyakera held numerous leadership positions and participated in many extracurricular activities, including founding the Stanford Africa Business Forum (currently in its 13th year and one of the top three largest annual American university African forums), the Stanford Journal of Africa Studies (Sauti), and other accomplishments. A Certified Public Accountant, he has also pursued a postgraduate program at Deerfield Academy, MA, USA, and graduated from the Kenya Institute of Management with a certificate in Management Information Systems, held at Starehe Boys' Centre Technical Training Institute.[citation needed]
Career
Nyakera began his career at Citigroup Investment Bank on Wall Street before moving to Canary Wharf in London, United Kingdom. He relocated to Kenya after the 2008 global economic downturn and joined NIC Bank Group's subsidiary, NIC Capital, initially as a Senior Associate, eventually becoming Managing Director in 2009 at the age of 28. Nyakera later returned to London, UK, working with Frontier Markets Fund Managers as Regional Director for 18 countries within Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2014, Nyakera joined Equity Group Holdings as Managing Director of Equity Investment Bank. He led Equity Group Holdings in their acquisition of Procredit Bank in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Public service
In 2015, Nyakera was appointed Principal Secretary (PS)[2] of Transport in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure by His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya. At 33, [3] Nyakera became the youngest Principal Secretary appointed in the country since independence.
In 2017, Nyakera was reassigned to the Ministry of Devolution and Planning as the Principal Secretary for Planning and Statistics. In June 2020, Nyakera was appointed to the tea steering committee by the Cabinet Secretary of Agriculture, Kenya.
Nyakera was elected Chairperson of the Political Parties Liaison Committee and also Deputy Party Leader for the Democratic Party of Kenya.[4]
Corporate social responsibility
A beneficiary of numerous acts of kindness throughout his schooling life, Nyakera established the Irungu Nyakera Foundation (INF), [5] with a primary focus on education, youth sports and talent development, agriculture, health, and poverty eradication. These programs operate across Murang'a, Nairobi, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Machakos, and Mombasa Counties.
References
- ↑ Staff Writer. "Reshuffle: Full List of Uhuru Kenyatta's New Cabinet". Kenyans.co.ke. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
- ↑ Staff Writer. "Irungu Nyakera-Principal Secretary".
- ↑ Elvis Ondieki. "At 33, youngest PS says he has earned his stripes". Nation Africa. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
- ↑ George Murage. "EX-PS Nyakera new Political Parties Liaison Committee boss". The Star. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ↑ KTN. "What you may need to know about former PS Irungu Nyakera". Standard Media. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
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