James Elvis Omariba Ongwae (born 1952) is the current

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Kisii County Kisii County is a county in the former Nyanza Province in southwestern Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kisii. The county has a population of 1,266,860 people. It borders Nyamira County to the North East, Narok County to the South, and ...

government. He is a member of the

Orange Democratic Movement The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is a centre-left political party in Kenya. It is the successor of a grassroots people's movement which was formed during the 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum campaign. This movement separated in Augu ...

and was elected as the first

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

on the ODM ticket in March 2013 and is currently serving his second term since August 2017.

Early life and education

Ongwae was born in Mwamonari Location, Marani District, Kitutu Chache North Constituency,

in the year 1952. He started his formal education in Itierio Primary School where he took his primary school education before proceeding to Kisii High School for his O-Level and A- levels. Ongwae then joined the

University of Nairobi , mottoeng = In unity and work , image = Uon emblem.gif , image_size = 210px , caption = Coat of Arms of the University , type = Public , endowment ...

where he pursued a Bachelors of Arts, (Hons) degree in Economics and Government. He thereafter joined Institute of Social Studies (ISS)-

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, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

for postgraduate studies and pursued his master's degree in Public Policy and Administration. He would later proceed to East & Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI)- TRAPCA Program,

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

to do a postgraduate diploma in management and government.

Professional career

He started his work in the public service as a District Officer. He then became an Immigration Officer, then Management Analyst and lastly served as Director of Civil Service Reform Programme. He later served as a Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President and a director of Personnel Management (DPM). He was also the Secretary for the Teachers Service Commission and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture in the government of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. As he served in the public service, he spearheaded various government initiatives served and managed various government committees and policy projects. Among them were the councils of

University of Nairobi , mottoeng = In unity and work , image = Uon emblem.gif , image_size = 210px , caption = Coat of Arms of the University , type = Public , endowment ...

Maseno University Maseno University is a public university based in the Maseno district of the city of Kisumu, Kenya, situated along the Equator. It was fully fledged as a university in 2001, after being a constituent college of Moi University for a decade. It is o ...

Egerton University Egerton University is a public university in Kenya. It is the oldest institution of higher education in Kenya. Location The main campus of the university is located in Njoro, a small community approximately , southwest of the town of Nakuru. Th ...

and

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) is a public university that is situated in Juja, 36 kilometres northeast of Nairobi, along the Nairobi-Thika SuperHighway, off Exit 15. .It offers courses in Technology, Engineering, ...

. He served in the commissions of Higher Education, Adult Education and

Kenya National Examination Council The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) is the national body responsible for overseeing national examinations in Kenya. Its current chairman is Professor John Onsati. This council was established under the Kenya National Examinations Council ...

(KNEC). He also worked at the Directorate of Industrial Training and served as an associate member of the Kenya Institute of Management (K.I.M). He retired from his professional work in December 2005 to pave way for his political ambitions.

Political career

Ongwae participated in competitive politics for the first time when he vied for the Member of Parliament seat of Kitutu Chache Constituency,

in the general elections of December 2007. He was unsuccessful but was seen in the political arena in 2010 when he campaigned for the passing of the new Kenyan Constitution 2010. He vied for the position of Governor of

on 4 March 2013, general election under the

ticket which he won, therefore, becoming the first governor of

. He was sworn to office on 27 March 2013. In August 2017, he vied for the seat for the second term where he faced five opponents among them: Chris Obure of Jubilee Party of Kenya, Boniface Omboto of Maendeleo Chap Chap (MCC), Manson Nyamweya of Kenya National Congress (KNC), Patrick Lumumba of Wiper Democratic Movement and Omingo Magara of People's Democratic Party (PDP). He won and was sworn in for the second term.

Governor of Kisii County

As governor of Kisii County, with approval from the County Assembly of Kisii County, he appointed the following: * Mr. Patrick Lumumba who serves as the County Secretary. * Onchari Kenani is the Economic Advisor. * Ms. Mogaka Biliah serves as the Chief Officer and Chief of Staff at the Office of the Governor. He also appointed the following individuals into the County Executive Committee (Effective August 2017 -Second Term): *Dr Walter Bichang'a Okibo serves as the Count Executive Committee member in-charge of Administration, Corporate Services and Stakeholder Management. *Mr. Esman Nyandikah Onsarigo is the Count Executive Committee member in charge of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative Development. *Mrs. Sarah Angima Omache works as the Count Executive Committee member coordinating the provision of Health Services. *Mr. Duke Mainga Ondiba is the Count Executive Committee member in-charge of Culture, Sports, Youth and Social Services. *Mr. Vincent Sagwe serves as the Count Executive Committee member in-charge of Roads, Public Works and Transport. *Mrs. Edinah Nyaboke Kangwana is the Count Executive Committee member in charge of the Trade and Industry ministry. *Mr. John Billy Momanyi works as the Count Executive Committee member in-charge of the Land, Housing, Physical Planning and Urban Development ministry. *Mr. Amos Andama Nyamoko is the Count Executive Committee member coordinating the Education, Labour and Manpower Development docket. *Dr. Skitter Wangeci Ocharo is the Count Executive Committee member in the Energy, Water Environment and Natural resources ministry. *Mr. Moses O. Onderi works as the Count Executive Committee member in-charge of Finance and Economic Planning.

References

External links

* http://www.kisii.go.ke/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Ongwae, James Living people 1952 births County Governors of Kenya Orange Democratic Movement politicians People from Kisii County University of Nairobi alumni