By Prudence Minayo
Francis Muthaura was a powerful and visible power player in the former president Mwai Kibaki’s government. He was at one point Head of Public Service until his resignation after the ICC confirmed charges against him in 2012. He currently serves as the chair of Kenya Revenue Authority. Muthaura has also served as an Ambassador and played a role in the crafting of vision 2030.
Age
Francis Kirimi Muthaura was born on 20th October 1946 in Meru.
Education
He joined Nkubu Secondary School before proceeding to Nyeri high school. Afterwards, he joined the University of Nairobi and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economic and Political Science. He also holds a Diploma in International Relations from the same university.
Career
The KRA board chairman has a long history as a civil servant. Shortly after graduating from the University of Nairobi, he was appointed District Commissioner of Mombasa. He then became assistant secretary in the Ministry of Foreign affairs.
In March 1996, he was appointed Secretary General of the East African Community. He served in the position until April 2001. He then became secretary to the cabinet in 2005.
Later, he was appointed Head of Public Service, a position he held until 2012.
In May 2018, he was appointed chairman of the Kenya Revenue Authority board.
The ICC case
Francis Muthaura was among the Ocampo 6 who were charged as main perpetrators of the 2007 post election violence. Mr. Muthaura was accused of five counts of crimes against humanity including authorizing the use of excessive force by police against protesters. The case began on 15th December 2010 and ended on 10th March 2013, when prosecutor Fatou Bensouda dropped the charges after the discrediting of a key witness. The prosecutor also noted that other witnesses were either dead or too afraid to talk. She said the government had also failed to provide access to important evidence and failed to facilitate access to witnesses.
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In an interview with The Standard, he revealed that he spent millions while fighting the case. He said he established a fundraiser where friends came through for him and donated millions to help him with the case. According to the publication, he claimed to have spent about Ksh 30 million a month. By the time the case came to an end, the fundraiser account still held millions. His first thought was to give the money back to those who had contributed.
However, he decided to use it in philanthropy and began a foundation named after him. In 2014, the then Vice Chancellor of Kenyatta University, prof. Olive Mugenda paid tribute to Muthaura for funding education programmes in the institution. She said the foundation has offered 8 masters and two PHD scholarships.
“I am glad professor Muthaura did not think to buy a piece of land or a bigger car like many of us would. This is exemplary and we need to change the culture and give more than we take,” said prof. Olive Mugenda.
Family
Muthaura’s mother was the late Mama Salome Kinya Muthaura. She passed away on 23rd December 2018 at her home. Among those who offered tribute was president Uhuru Kenyatta. He remembered the late Mama Salome as a devoted Christian and an outstanding woman whose leadership would be missed by many. The former head of civil servants has a daughter named Susan.
