Kibaki-era minister Joseph Munyao, who revived KMC, dies at 85
Former Cabinet Minister the late Joseph Munyao.
What you need to know:
- Mr Munyao, an alumnus of Machakos High School, began his career as a bank clerk with the Standard Chartered Bank in 1962.
- The former minister was also a key pillar of the Democratic Party, which was founded by former president Mwai Kibaki.
Former Livestock minister and Mbooni Member of Parliament Joseph Konzolo Munyao has died at the age of 85.
Mr Munyao died on Saturday afternoon while receiving treatment at the Nairobi Hospital, according to his son, Alex Kyalo.
“He died at 12.25pm,” the son told the Daily Nation.
Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior eulogised Mr Munyao as a man who “served our nation with dedication and humility as the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Development” and who had “a deep commitment to the wellbeing of his constituents”.
“His contribution to leadership and development will be remembered with great respect,” Mr Kilonzo Jnr said in a statement.
Revival of KMC
The former minister was also a key pillar of the Democratic Party, which was founded by former president Mwai Kibaki. As recently as July 2023, he was an official at the party.
Mr Munyao is remembered for breathing life into the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) in 2006, after it had been closed for 15 years.
The reopening of KMC happened in June 2006.
“KMC was re-opened on June 26, 2006 after 15 years of closure with an objective of promoting the meat industry in Kenya, both domestic and for export,” says a post on KMC’s website.
On the day of the reopening, Mr Munyao said: “The revival of KMC presents the possibility of exporting meat and meat products which provide higher returns as compared to live animals.”
That day, he also stoked controversy when he was questioned about usage of two official cars at a time when the government was speaking of austerity.
Political career
Mr Munyao, an alumnus of Machakos High School, began his career as a bank clerk with the Standard Chartered Bank in 1962. By 1965, he had become an accounts clerk in the office of founding president Jomo Kenyatta. He then moved to his firm, Plastic Products Kenya Limited.
Born on May 4, 1940, he entered politics during the inaugural 1963 General Election. Then, at just 23, he contested what was then the Mombasa mainland seat comprising Changamwe, Kisauni, and Mtongwe, but lost.
He was elected member of Parliament in 1975 in his home district after winning a by-election after a successful petition challenging the election of Joseph Kalulu, who dislodged him four years later. In 1988, Mr Munyao lost to Johnson Makau in the notorious mlolongo (queue-voting) elections.
Between 1998 and 2002, he was a nominated MP. In the 2002 General Election, which was characterised by a countrywide National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) sweep, he won the Mbooni MP seat and was appointed minister for Livestock.
After his stint in politics, he went into dairy, poultry, and goat farming at his Kalawa farm in Makueni County. By 2013, he was also into growing citrus fruits and cotton.
