Former Meru governor Kiraitu Murungi has announced retirement from active politics to concentrate on spreading happiness at workplaces.
Speaking on Tuesday after receiving an honorary doctorate from the Laikipia University recognizing his distinguished public service and leadership, Dr. Kiraitu said he had learnt his lessons and having spent over 3 decades in active politics, it was time to call it quits.
Kiraitu was first elected in 1992 and had served as MP and cabinet minister in the President Mwai Kibaki regime, before he ran for Meru senator in 2013, won the seat, ran for governor in 2017, won the seat…until he was defeated in 2022 by governor Kawira Mwangaza.
According to Kiraitu, who was speaking to a group of close friends and family as he received the award from the university, he almost went into depression after losing the 2022 election, not having known anything else for over 30 years, a place he said he would not want to go back to.
Murungi said “my happiness crusade journey, which was born from serious counselling and classes that took 9 months, gave me a different perspective to life and now I want to spread the happiness and also coach fellow politicians of a life beyond politics.”
“I will now practice ‘low volume politics’ which is basically advisory.”
There were reports linking Kiraitu to a return to politics in the run up to the 2027 general elections, with some of his close allies indicating he would run for senate one more time, but some say he is paving way for the young turks who have been relentless in their push for capturing elective positions.
Mūrungi entered politics in the early 1990s, joining the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD) and later the Democratic Party (DP) as he advocated for multi-party democracy. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for South Imenti in 1992 and held this seat until 2013, aligning himself with reformist leaders and later joining the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) in 2002. He held various cabinet roles, including Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and later Minister of Energy.
In 2013, Mūrungi became the Senator for Meru County, representing the county in the Kenyan Senate. In 2017, he successfully ran for Governor of Meru County under the Jubilee Party and served a five-year term.
After his term as governor, Mūrungi was appointed Chairman of the National Oil Corporation of Kenya in 2023, where he has been tasked with overseeing the strategic direction of Kenya’s national petroleum interests.
His wife Priscilla Murungi appreciated the announcement, indicating it was time he now settled to focus on other issues.