Winfred Nyiva Mwendwa is a

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n politician. She was the first Kenyan woman to serve as a cabinet minister.

Early life and education

She was educated at

Alliance Girls High School Alliance Girls' High School (AGHS) is a public national boarding school for girls located near the small town of Kikuyu in the Kiambu District of the Central Province of Kenya, 20 km from Nairobi. Founded in 1948 as the African Girls High S ...

, and was one of the first ethnic African teachers to be posted to The Kenya High School in the mid-1960s, teaching Domestic Science. She was elected for the post of

Kitui West Constituency Kitui West Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of eight constituencies in Kitui County Kitui County is a county in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kitui, although Mwingi is also an ...

MP three times, in 1974 and 1992 representing KANU and in 2002 representing NARC. At the 2007 elections she contested the seat on the ODM-Kenya ticket, but lost to Charles Mutisya Nyamai. She was elected the first

Kitui County Kitui County is a county in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kitui, although Mwingi is also another major urban centre. The county has a population of 1,136,187 (2019 census). and an area of 30,430 km2. ...

woman representative in the

2013 Kitui local elections Kitui Gubernatorial Elections were held in Kitui to elect a Governor and County Assembly on 4 March 2013. Under the new constitution, which was passed in a 2010 referendum, the 2013 general elections were the first in which Governors and members ...

on a

Wiper Democratic Movement-Kenya Wiper may refer to: * Windscreen wiper * Wiper, a Pakistani English term for a squeegee * Wiper (occupation), a cleaner in the engine room of a ship * wiper (malware), a type of malware * Wiper, a term for a hybrid striped bass * Wiper, a t ...

(WDM-K) ticket. In 2016, she announced her intention to retire from active politics 40 years since her debut.

Political life

Mwendwa was appointed the Minister for Culture and Social Services on May 9, 1995, becoming the first female minister in Kenya. She caused a national disfavour in 1995 when she travelled to women’s conference in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

in 1995 and took a hairdresser as a part of her delegation. Mwendwa herself defended the decision by stating that being a delegation leader, she must take care of her appearance.The Standard, October 23, 2008
Nyiva Mwendwa: Never give in to despair
/ref> Her husband

Kitili Maluki Mwendwa Kitili Maluki Mwendwa is a former Chief Justice of Kenya. He served between 1968–1971 and was succeeded by Sir James Wicks. Mwendwa, who was from Kitui, was the first African to become Chief Justice of Kenya. His brother, Ngala Mwendwa, served ...

was Kenyan chief justice and politician. Kitili Mwendwa died in a traffic accident in 1985. He was at the time the Kitui West MP, his seat was taken at the subsequent by-election by his brother Kyale Mwendwa. His other brother, Eliud Ngala Mwendwa is also a former Kenyan minister. She lives in Matinyani village in

Kitui District Kitui County is a county in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kitui, although Mwingi is also another major urban centre. The county has a population of 1,136,187 (2019 census). and an area of 30,430 km2. ...

. Nyiva Mwendwa has two children, Kavinya and Maluki.

Awards

She was awarded wit
The Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya
2nd Class,
Elder of the Golden Heart
(EGH)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mwendwa, Nyiva Living people Kenya African National Union politicians National Rainbow Coalition politicians Wiper Democratic Movement – Kenya politicians Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) Government ministers of Kenya Women government ministers of Kenya Alumni of Alliance Girls High School Kamba people People from Kitui County 20th-century Kenyan women politicians 20th-century Kenyan politicians 21st-century Kenyan women politicians 21st-century Kenyan politicians Year of birth missing (living people)