Anne Waiguru

Anne Mumbi Waiguru
EGH
Chairperson of the Council of Governors (CoG)
Governor of Kirinyaga County[1]
Assumed office
22 August 2017
DeputyDavid Githanda
Cabinet Secretary for Devolution
In office
15 May 2013 – 21 November 2015
PresidentWilliam Ruto
Personal details
Born
Anne Mumbi

(1971-04-16) 16 April 1971 (age 53)
NationalityKenyan
Political partyUnited Democratic Alliance (Kenya)
Children3
Alma materEgerton University
University of Nairobi

Anne Mumbi Waiguru, EGH, (born 16 April 1971) is the second Governor of Kirinyaga County in Kenya, who has been in office since 22 August 2017.

She made history in the 2017 general elections when she, alongside Charity Ngilu and the late Joyce Laboso became the first female governors to be elected in Kenya since the introduction of the devolved system of governance following the promulgation of the 2010 constitution.[2]

She was re-elected to office as Governor for her second 5-year term in the elections that were held on 9 August 2022. Previously, she served as the first Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Devolution and Planning. She was nominated by H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta to the position on 25 April 2013.[3] She is behind the establishment of Huduma Centres, places where Kenyan citizens can access government services more efficiently in their respective counties.[4][5] as well as the 30% procurement rule, which accords at least 30 per cent of all supply contracts to the government to the youth, persons with disability and women.[6]

Anne Mumbi Waiguru was also among the seven women Governors in Kenya elected in the 9 August 2022 Kenyan general election. The other Kenyan female governors include Susan Kihika-Nakuru County, Gladys Wanga-Homa Bay County, Cecicly Mbarire-Embu County, Wavinya Ndeti-Machakos County and Fatuma Achani-Kwale County as well as Kawira Mwangaza-Meru County. This is the highest number of women in this position since the implementation of the devolved system of government in Kenya in 2013. During the 2017 general election in Kenya, only three women were elected as governors against a total of 44 male governors.

Waiguru was the first female vice chair of the Council of Governors in Kenya between December 2017 and January 2019.[7] She was elected as the chairperson in September 2022, becoming the first female to serve as chairperson of the Council of Governors in Kenya.[8]

In 2023, she was unanimously re-elected for a second term as the chair of Council of Governors (COG) during a full council meeting held in Nairobi. Upon her re-election, Waiguru said that her focus would now be ensuring that all devolved functions and subsequent resources are fully handed over to the county governments.

  1. ^ "List of elected Governors in August 8th Election" (PDF). Capital FM Kenya. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  2. ^ Kabintie, Winnie (8 March 2018). "International Women's Day: Kenya Celebrates Efforts in Closing Political Gender Gap". The Kenya Forum. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Anne Waiguru CV". Nairobi: State House. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Kenya launches Huduma e-centre to cut bureaucracy". BBC News. 7 November 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Access to Government Procurement Opportunities". Youth Enterprise Development Fund. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  6. ^ "New procurement laws to spur economic growth". Business Daily. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  7. ^ Correspondent (18 December 2017). "Ann Waiguru Ascends to COG Leadership". The Kenya Forum. Retrieved 6 March 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ Okoth, Brian. "Anne Waiguru elected Council of Governors chairperson". The Standard. Retrieved 6 October 2022.