William Kabogo Gitau is a Kenyan politician. He was the first and former governor of Kiambu County and a member of The National Alliance (TNA), one of the allied parties that merged to form The Jubilee Party.
William Kabogo Gitau is a Kenyan politician who served as the first governor of Kiambu. Kabogo was born in Ruiru on April 4, 1961.
He attended local schools before joining Punjab University in India where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Bcom) degree.
He returned to Kenya after his graduation and initially worked as an auditor before venturing into private business. In 2002, he ventured into elective politics after he sought the Juja parliamentary seat.
His flamboyant campaigns gained immediate national attention as he was among the first politicians in Kenya to use a chopper in an election campaign. His first term was marked with tense relations with then powerful minister John Michuki. Two of Kabogo’s brothers were arrested and charged with the murder of a CID officer investigating the Ksh5.3 billion cocaine haul impounded by police in 2004.
In the 2007 general election, Kabogo lost the Juja parliamentary seat under controversial circumstances that included widespread allegations of rigging. He successfully challenged the election of George Thuo (now deceased) and won the 2010 by-election on a Narc Kenya ticket.
The wealthy politician later switched loyalties and was part of the team that helped Uhuru Kenyatta form The National Alliance (TNA) and later negotiated a coalition with URP’s William Ruto to form the Jubilee coalition. Kabogo was elected Kiambu Governor on a TNA ticket but lost the 2017 general election to Ferdinand Waititu Babayao.
Outside office, Kabogo has remained politically active, often using social media and vernacular stations to position himself as one of the political leaders offering direction in the Mt Kenya region. He is also a close confidant of President Uhuru Kenyatta and a supporter of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
He won the governorship in the March 2013 general election. He is the immediate former Juja MP, a seat he won in the 2010 by-elections, trouncing Alice Wambui of Kenya National Congress who was distant second, while the previous MP George Thuo of PNU was third. In 2017, he lost the jubilee ticket and conceded defeat way before the results were announced.
In 2017, he was defeated by his rival Ferdinand Waititu in the nomination for the Jubilee gubernatorial ticket. Thereafter, he quit the Jubilee Party and declared that he would contest for the seat as an independent candidate but also lost to Waititu.
William Kabogo Early life and education
Born on April 4, 1961 in Komothai village in Githunguri, Kabogo attended St George’s Ruiru Primary School, then Thika Technical School between 1975 and 1978 before joining Punjab University, India, for a bachelor of commerce degree.
William Kabogo Political career
Kabogo burst into the political scene in 2002 when he contested for the Kanu ticket for Juja Parliamentary Seat (Uhuru Kenyatta was then Kanu’s presidential candidate) and lost to incumbent Stephen Ndichu. He immediately decamped to the little known Sisi Kwa Sisi party and went ahead to defeat Ndichu in the general elections. Kabogo unsuccessfully defended his seat during the 2007 when he lost the seat to George Thuo. He successfully petitioned the election of Thuo and when the by-election was called, he buried his political nemesis with a landslide victory on a Narc-Kenya ticket.
In 2013 Kabogo contested and won the Kiambu Gubernatorial Elections to become the 1st Governor of Kiambu County. In 2017, however, he lost the seat to Ferdinand Waititu after failing to grasp the Jubilee Party ticket, which then considered pivotal to the success of candidates, particularly in Kiambu County, Uhuru Kenyatta’s backyard. In hindsight, therefore, his attempt to win the seat by contesting as an independent candidate was futile.
