By Prudence Minayo
Anthony Kimani Ichung’wa is a vocal politician, astute debater who is currently serving as the Member of Parliament for Kikuyu Constituency.
Age
He is was born in 1977 making him 46 years old.
Background
The legislator was born and raised in Gikambura Village, Karai Location in Kikuyu Constituency. He was the second last born in a family of 13 children.
They were not rich and his parents had to work extremely hard to provide for their basic needs. One of his dreams at the time was to live in a house that had a cemented floor.
Education
The MP attended Kikuyu Township Primary School and then proceeded to Alliance Boys High School. The national school gave him exposure as he got to interact with a number of people from different parts of the country. He was elected house prefect and was also a senior prefect in charge of discipline.
His dream was to become a lawyer as he admired some of the top lawyers in the country, like Gitobu Imanyara. Unfortunately, he missed the law entry marks by two points.
While waiting to join university, he did CPA1 at the Kenya College of Accounting (KCA) and proceeded to finish with his accountancy course at Strathmore University, which was still a college at the time.
He then joined the University of Nairobi in 1996 and pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and History. He graduated in 2000 with an honours degree in Economics.
At the same time, he pursued a diploma in banking.
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Education Background:
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From |
To |
Education Institution |
Qualification |
|
1996 |
2000 |
University of Nairobi |
Bachelor of Arts Degree (Economics & History) |
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1995 |
1997 |
Strathmore College |
CPA-K |
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1998 |
1999 |
Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) – Private Candidate |
Diploma- Banking |
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1994 |
1991 |
Alliance High School |
Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) |
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1983 |
1990 |
Kikuyu Township Primary |
Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) |
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Employment/Service History:
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From |
To |
Employer/Institution |
Position Held |
|
March 2013 |
To date |
Kenya National Assembly |
Member of Parliament, Kikuyu Constituency |
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February 2009 |
To date |
SAFEXAFRICA Limited |
Finance Director |
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November 2006 |
2008 |
The Standard Group |
Senior Accountant – Treasury |
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March 2003 |
October 2006 |
Madison Insurance Company Limited |
Senior Accountant |
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March 2001 |
March 2003 |
Diverseylever East Africa Limited |
Cash/Management Accountant |
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Membership to Committees (11th Parliament):
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From |
To |
Committee |
Position Held |
|
2013 |
2017 |
Public Investments Committee |
Vice Chair |
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2013 |
2017 |
Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock & Cooperatives |
Member |
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2013 |
2017 |
Committee on Privileges |
Member |
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Membership to Committees (12th Parliament):
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From |
To |
Committee |
Position Held |
|
2013 |
2017 |
Budget and Appropriations Committee |
Chairperson |
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2013 |
2017 |
Committee on Appointments |
Member |
Career
After university, he sent out his CV to a number of banks but never got any feedback. He then began working as an employee for a shoe company his brother and Ugandan friends had started.
He would go out and market the shoes in various places. He applied for a job at Unilever and although he was unsuccessful, he got a job at their subsidiary known as DiverseyLever.
Two years later, Ichung’wa called it quits and started his own butchery. He built his business premises on a parcel of land his dad gave him.
“My dad was a butcher for many years and he had a plot near an upcoming bus stop. I asked him to give me a small part of the plot for me to put up a butchery. I told him I wanted to leave employment by the end of that year. My dad was kind enough to give me some space and I started my business,” he was quoted by the Daily Nation.
His friends made fun of him when he started his butchery business but that did not deter Ichungwa who went on to open two more butcheries.
“Some of my peers laughed at me when I started my butchery business. They kept asking me, ‘with all your education, the best you can do is run a butchery that your illiterate father ran?’ But I said I would do it, and I did it,” Ichung’wa said.
His job hunt continued and lady luck smiled on him when he was called for two jobs he had applied for. While Corn Products offered a higher pay, he opted for Madison as it was closer to his butchery, and this would allow him to manage his business effectively.
At the end of 2006, he left the insurance company to join Standard Media Group PLC.
Politics
In 2007, he vied for the Kikuyu Constituency seat but lost. He gave it a shot again in 2013 and was elected and re-elected in 2017 with a landslide.
As a politician, he has been vocal when it comes to expressing his views. He called out former DCI boss George Kinoti for failure to do his work properly. Ichung’wa boldly spoke on an alleged political assassination plot of senior government officials. He is among members of parliament allied to former William Ruto.
In 2019, his security was withdrawn while he was out of the country.
“I see the withdrawal of my security as a political move to intimidate and coerce me following threats even to my life to stop working with DP Ruto. Only God knows what they intend to do either to my family or myself,” he said.
Joining UDA
He retained his Kikuyu parliamentary seat after garnering 48,018 votes. Jubilee’s Owen Ndung’u scored 10,275.
Marriage
His wife is known as Alice Nyokabi who is a banker by profession. The couple are blessed with three daughters aged 14, 12 and four.
Death threats
In 2019, the youthful MP claimed that he had received chilling death threats from unknown people. According to the MP, he had been warned against associating himself with DP William Ruto. In an audio shared by the legislator, the caller told Ichungw’a to go slow on his support of the DP:
“I am telling you this…stop auctioning the Kikuyu community. You can die very easily. Let us see you again one day with Ruto you will face the consequences,” he could be heard saying.
The matter was reported to the Inspector General of Police.
