John Joseph Kamotho (5 December 1942 – 6 December 2014) was a

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

politician. He held many Cabinet portfolios including Education, Trade, and Environment and Natural Resources. Kamotho was a former member of parliament for

Mathioya Constituency Mathioya Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of seven constituencies of Muranga County Murang'a County is one of the counties of Kenya's former Central Province. Its largest town and capital is Murang'a, formerly re ...

and

Kangema Kangema is a settlement in Muranga County, Kenya. It is the birthplace of James Mwangi, the Managing Director, Group Managing Director and CEO, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Equity Group Holdings Limited, the banking conglomerate with the l ...

Constituency.

Early life and education

Kamotho was born on 5 December 1942 in Gacharageini village in Murang'a District. He joined the Muthangari Primary School in

Murang'a Murang'a (or Muranga) is a town in Murang'a County of Kenya. Before the independence of Kenya in 1963, this town used to be called Fort Hall. It is the administrative centre of Murang'a County and is mainly inhabited by the Kikuyu community. A ...

in 1948 and sat for CE in 1952. He later joined Njumbi Intermediate School in 1955. In 1958, he sat the Kenya African Preliminary Examination and was admitted to

Nyeri High School Nyeri High School, also known as Nyeri High, is a boys boarding school situated in Nyeri, Kenya near Mathari Consolata Mission Hospital, which provides secondary education as stipulated by the 8-4-4 Curriculum. Despite being acknowledged as an ac ...

. He sat for the Cambridge Secondary Education Examination in 1962 and obtained a Division Two. He worked for the East African Customs and Excise as a trainee customs officer in

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

and later joined Standard Chartered Bank. He applied for a Russian scholarship and joined the

Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

in 1964 where he studied economics but quit a year later. He later got a scholarship from the Institute for International Education, which enabled him to study at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in the US and obtained a degree in liberal arts. After finishing his first degree in 1968, he returned to Kenya to teach at the Kenya Institute of Administration. In 1969, he went to study at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

and obtained a master's degree in Development Administration and Social Sciences.

Political career

He was the fifth secretary general of the KANU party from 1989 to 2003. He retired from active politics after the 2007 elections. In the 2013 general elections, Kamotho ran for the

Muranga Murang'a (or Muranga) is a town in Murang'a County of Kenya. Before the independence of Kenya in 1963, this town used to be called Fort Hall. It is the administrative centre of Murang'a County and is mainly inhabited by the Kikuyu community. A ...

Senatorial seat but lost to Kembi Gitura.

Personal life

In March 2013, Kamotho was admitted to

Nairobi Hospital The Nairobi Hospital is a private hospital located in upperhill area, Nairobi, Kenya.The hospital was founded in 1954 as a European hospital. Location It is located along Argwings Kodhek Road, Upper Hill, Nairobi. The hospital is located approx ...

for three months. Kamotho's family later flew him to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

where he underwent intensive treatment. On 6 December 2014 at the age of 72 at

Milpark Hospital The Milpark Hospital is a private hospital in western Parktown, Johannesburg, in the area known as Milpark, and owned by Netcare Limited. It has a level 1 accredited trauma unit, and cardiology and cardio-thoracic services. It has 346 beds, of ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, South Africa, Kamotho suffered from cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead. He is survived by his wife Eunice Wambui Kamotho and four children. He was buried on 17 December near his home in Mioro, Murang’a. JJ, as he was fondly known, will be remembered for his fiery brand of politics during the 1990s in Kenya.

References

External links

John Joseph Kamotho Memorial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamotho, Joseph Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) Government ministers of Kenya 1942 births 2014 deaths