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Musalia Mudavadi

DATE OF BIRTH


September 21, 1960

GENDER


Male

OCCUPATION


Politician, Land economist

FAMILY


Married to Tessy Musalia with three children

BIOGRAPHY


Education: Early learning at Nairobi Primary School, then Jamhuri and Nairobi School for his A-levels before proceeding to the University of Nairobi for his Bachelor of Arts (Land Economics) degree.

Political career: Mr Mudavadi, who is Kenya’s 7th Vice President (VP), was first elected an MP in 1989 after the death of his father, Mr Moses Mudavadi. He was elected uno

pposed in Sabatia constituency and went on to be re-elected in 1992, 1997, and 2007.

Soon after, he was appointed Minister of Supplies and Marketing until 1992 when he was elevated to Ministry of Finance between 1993 and 1997. He has also served as Minister for Agriculture, and Transport and Communication between 2001 and 2002 when he was appointed to the office of VP.

He served three months in the office of the Vice President, the shortest sting in Kenyan history.

He was appointed VP in October 2002 to replace the late George Saitoti, who Moi had sacked in a succession war after he chose Mr Uhuru Kenyatta as his successor. Mr Mudavadi was Mr Kenyatta's running mate in the 2002 general election. He ended up losing that bid as well as his Sabatia Parliamentary seat.

Mr Mudavadi made a come back in 2005 during the campaigns for the new Constitution. He joined the NO camp that was opposed to the draft that the Kibaki government had proposed. The camp emerged winners of the referendum. In the 2007 presidential election, Mr Mudavadi was Mr Odinga’s running mate, but again they lost to late former President Mwai Kibaki. 

He was a member of the national reconciliation team that negotiated for peace after the bloody events of the 2007/08 post-election violence and was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local government in the Grand coalition government of 2008/13.

He defected from ODM to his United Democratic Forum (UDF) through which he contested the 2013 presidential race, coming third. 

He severed ties with UDF to form Amani National Congress (ANC) in 2015. ANC was part of the five political parties that merged in 2017 to form the National Super Alliance (Nasa) which fronted Mr Raila Odinga as its presidential candidate. Nasa lost to Jubilee in the election held on August 8, 2017 but the Supreme Court nullified the outcome due to irregularities.

In January 2022, he joined hands with DP William Ruto to form the Kenya Kwanza Alliance ahead of the 2022 general elections.


Latest articles on Musalia Mudavadi:

  1. Aid Russia war recruits

    More than 200 Kenyans may be fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

  2. PREMIUM Luhya elders explore 2027 options post-Raila

    They decide on their next move to ensure the community is not isolated.

  3. PREMIUM Why death of MP nominated by Mudavadi party has triggered a crisis

    It raises tough questions about who will inherit the party's 'fortunes and liabilities'.

  4. Omtatah, Cofek sue to block Kenya-USA health deal

    Transfer of sensitive Kenyan medical data to the USA has raised concerns over individual privacy, national sovereignty, and "irreversible harm."

    Nation inside (5)
  5. PREMIUM D-Day: Moment of truth for new IEBC team

    Loss or victory will see realignments in both the government side and opposition.

  6. UDA dishes diplomat jobs to Malava nomination losers

    On Monday, Mudavadi issued posting letters to two aspirants for Uganda and South Africa.

    Musalia Mudavadi
  7. Kenya turns to China to sustain development projects as US financing dries up

    Beijing’s Global Development Initiative is now Nairobi's lifeline.

  8. PREMIUM Bodies of two Kenyans killed in TZ still unaccounted for

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has assured Kenyans that they are following up on the matter.

  9. PREMIUM Future ambassadors must be diplomats, new Bill proposes

    Only 30 percent will be political appointees with relevant experience.

  10. PREMIUM Museveni: We put Kenyan activists in the fridge

    The two were abducted on October 1, after attending a campaign rally organised by Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine.

    New Content Item (1)
  11. PREMIUM Trump's G20 boycott of South Africa derails VP Vance's Nairobi visit

    Mudavadi confirms Vance's round trip is no longer feasible.

    2025-11-07T165057Z_1092807185_RC2RRHA2T36D_RTRMADP_3_USA-HUNGARY
  12. PREMIUM Activists Bob Njagi, Nicholas Oyoo freed after diplomatic pressure

    They were released and returned to Kenya late on Friday night.

    WhatsApp Image 2025-11-08 at 12.38.29 (1)
  13. PREMIUM Kenyan teachers, students and activists stranded in Tanzania

    Human rights monitors confirm that one Kenyan has been killed, another arrested.

  14. PREMIUM Kenya responds to UN on abductions after media highlight

    UN experts had demanded answers for the 'deteriorating' state of human rights in the country.

    Musalia Mudavadi
  15. PREMIUM Kenya, Russia in talks to stop Kenyans being duped into joining Moscow army

    The move comes amid a troubling trend of Kenyan nationals being caught up in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

    Musalia Mudavadi
  16. PREMIUM Inside Natembeya’s plot to disturb the power balance in Western

    His fiery rhetoric is establishing him as the region's 'liberator'.

    George Natembeya
  17. PREMIUM Kwamchetsi Makokha: How not to engage the ‘Ugly American’

    The desperation for attention is quite understandable, given how low Kenya has fallen on the US list of priorities.

    Donald Trump
  18. PREMIUM Court blocks scrapping of hardship allowance

    The Teachers Service Commission, Judiciary and other government organs use different categories.

    TSC Headquarters
  19. PREMIUM New bid to amend Constitution

    Opposition leader Raila Odinga has emerged as one of the strongest advocates of a review of the 2010 Constitution.

  20. PREMIUM On Iran, Kenya plays tricky political game home and away

    This week, Kenya and Iran rallied to mend fences over the quality of tea that ends up in Tehran

    William Ruto