Samson Mwita Marwa (1932–2022), also known as Mwita Nyagakende, was a Kenyan teacher and politician who served in the National Assembly of Kenya from 1969 until 1974 as a member of the Kenya African National Union.

Biography

Samson Mwita Marwa was born in 1932 in the Bukuria District, then part of the British

Kenya Colony The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commonly known as British Kenya or British East Africa, was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British Crown colony in ...

. He was educated at the intermediate school in Itibo, and later attended the teachers' college in Kisii. Marwa worked as a teacher from 1957 until 1963. Marwa's political career began in 1961, when he co-founded the Bukuria Political Union, serving as its inaugural chairman. In 1963, Marwa was elected to the Nyanza Regional Assembly, representing the

Kuria District Kuria District was an administrative district in the Nyanza Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Kehancha (sometimes spelled as ''Kihancha''). The district has a population of 256,086 (2009 census) and an area of 581/km2. It is inhabited by a mi ...

as a member of the Kenya African National Union. While in the regional assembly, Marwa served as a member of the Regional Commerce and Industry Committee and the Local Government and Administrative Committee. He also served as director of the Kuria Transport and Traders Union. In 1965, the Nyanza Regional Assembly appointed him to the South Nyanza Liquor Licensing Court. Marwa was elected to the National Assembly of Kenya following the

1969 Kenyan general election General elections were held in Kenya on 6 December 1969, the first since independence in 1963. The country had become a de facto one-party state after President Jomo Kenyatta had banned the Kenya People's Union on 30 October, with Kenyatta's Keny ...

. Marwa defeated incumbent Benjamin Chacha Maisori-Itumbo in the

Kuria constituency Kuria Constituency is a former electoral constituency in Kenya. It was the only constituency in the former Kuria District. The constituency had 21 wards, all electing councillors to the Kehancha municipality. It has since been divided into Kuria We ...

, receiving 3,073 votes, while Maisori-Itumbo received 1,930 votes. However, Maisori-Itumbo defeated Marwa in a rematch in the

1974 Kenyan general election General elections were held in Kenya on 14 October 1974. At the time, the country was a de facto one-party state with the Kenya African National Union being the sole party to participate in the election. 740 KANU candidates stood for the 158 Nati ...

, receiving 3,814 votes compared to Marwa's 2,361. During his tenure in parliament, Marwa campaigned for the opening of an agricultural training center in Kuria, but was rebuffed by Maina Wanjigi, the assistant minister of agriculture, who considered Kuria to be too remote. After leaving parliament, Marwa remained locally involved, stating in 2001 that the deforestation rate in

Meru County Meru County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya, located in the former Eastern Province. The county lies between 0° 6′ North and 0° 1′ South and between latitudes 37° West and 38° East. It borders Isiolo County to the North, Tharaka/Nit ...

was exceeding the reforestation rate. Marwa was a polygamist, and had at least eight children, including prominent journalist Chaacha Mwita. Marwa died in 2022 at the age of 89 or 90.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marwa, Samson Mwita 1932 births 2022 deaths People from Nyanza Province 20th-century Kenyan educators Kenya African National Union politicians 20th-century Kenyan politicians Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) Date of birth missing Date of death missing Place of death missing