Irungu Nyakera: The banker with a love for farming who wants to govern Murang’a
Irungu Nyakera is one of the candidates eyeing the Murang'a gubernatorial seat in the August polls.
He is vying for the seat on the Farmers party ticket and he believes he is the best-suited candidate to steer the county to greater heights and improve the livelihoods of the people.
Who is this man who wants to succeed Mwangi wa Iria?
Nyakera was born in a family of three children to a single mother Nancy Njoki who died when he was eight years old. Their maternal grandparents raised them to their adulthood. He is the first born.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in management science and engineering (majoring in finance analysis and decision engineering) from Stanford University.
He started off his career at Citigroup Investment Bank in the UK before relocating to Kenya after the global economic turmoil in 2008. He joined the NIC capital where he rose to the Managing Director rank at 28 years.
He went back to London where he worked with Frontier Markets Fund Managers and in 2014, he came back to Kenya and joined Equity Group Holdings as the Managing Director of Equity Investment Bank.
In 2015, at the age of 33, Nyakera was appointed the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Transport and Infrastructure where he oversaw the construction of the Nairobi Mombasa SGR and the upgrading of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
He was later relocated to the ministry of devolution and planning where he spearheaded the development of the National Economic Development Plan commonly referred to as Vision 2030 and the development of the County Development Plans among others.
In 2020, he was appointed the chairman of Kenya Tea lobby sector which ignited the debate on reforms in the tea and coffee sub-sectors demanding better prices for the farmers.
Going by his Farmers party, Nyakera says his focus will be on farmers’ empowerment to ensure they get a better return for every produce in their farm and this will in return empower them economically.
“Murang’a is an agricultural county and has a huge potential that is yet to be unleashed. I will tap into every sector and ensure the farmers realize better returns for their produce,” he said.
“I will personally drive the farmers’ economic empowerment agenda and make all the necessary interventions geared to increasing the value,” he added.
With a pledge of bringing a change in the county’s leadership, Nyakera promises to work with all leaders regardless of their political affiliation so as to generate ideas that will steer the county to greater heights.
“I promise you a leadership you have never seen and that which you will be proud of as I will present and demonstrate gubernatorial change in style and quality by injecting the highest standard of professionalism in service delivery,” he promises.
His manifesto is built around; leadership partnership, governance, farmer economic empowerment, youth economic and political empowerment, women economic empowerment, health, education, and fighting drug and alcohol abuse.
Before joining politics, Nyakera has largely been involved in community empowerment through the Irungu Nyakera Foundation where he has been sponsoring students in secondary schools and giving footballs and kits to various teams in the county.
Nyakera is married and has four children.
