Raphael Tuju
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Raphael Tuju, EGH (born 30 March 1959) is a Kenyan politician. In 2002—after a career as a journalist, TV producer, and real estate investor—Tuju was elected to parliament and has served the Government of Kenya in various capacities since that time.


Education

Tuju attended Majiwa Primary School and
Nakuru Nakuru is a city in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya, Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and was formerly the capital of Rift Valley Province. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban and rural population of 570,674 inhabitant ...
West Primary School and, for his secondary education, Starehe Boys' Centre and School. He holds a Master of Arts (MA) degree in mass communications from the
University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...
, United Kingdom.


Career


Business

Tuju worked as an anchor for TV news in the late 1980s and early part of the 1990s on a part-time basis. He was a producer and director of several documentaries, radio and TV commercials for international agencies, public sector institutions, and private-sector bodies. He was a columnist for local newspapers notably the ''
East African Standard ''The Standard'' is one of the largest newspapers in Kenya with a 48% market share. It is the oldest newspaper in the country and is owned by The Standard Group, which also runs the Kenya Television Network (KTN), Radio Maisha, ''The Nairobian' ...
''. He worked as lead consultant in the design and implementation of several public communication programs for a varied clientele that included the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
(WHO) in Geneva, the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
, the
Department for International Development , type = Department , logo = DfID.svg , logo_width = 180px , logo_caption = , picture = File:Admiralty Screen (411824276).jpg , picture_width = 180px , picture_caption = Department for International Development (London office) (far right ...
(DFID) of the British government,
United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
(USAID), and the
United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
(UNDP). From 1992 to 2001, he was founder director of Ace Communications. He has interests in the real estate sector. Of his accomplishments Tuju says,
In my younger years, I worked as a Television Producer with several documentary films to my credit and earning the distinction of being the first TV Producer in Africa to win an International Emmy award for a TV production. I mainly addressed health and human development issues in my communication career with HIV/AIDS and Gender Empowerment being the main subject matter and in which I am credited with some of the major ground breaking mark in Kenya.


Political

In 2002, Tuju was elected as a member of parliament (MP) from Rarieda constituency in the December 2002 parliamentary election a member of parliament (MP) for Rarieda constituency. He served until 2007, in which time he is credited with the building of five (5) new secondary schools to increase high school enrollment in the region. He also implemented a major water project for the Rarieda people and introduced an innovative mobile hospital to decrease infant mortality as a result of malaria and HIV/AIDS. The
National Rainbow Coalition The National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) is a political party in Kenya. As an alliance, it was in power from 2002 and 2005 when it collapsed due to disagreements between members over a constitutional referendum. Formation In preparation of the 2002 ...
took power in 2003. Between 2003 and 2005, Mr. Tuju held the portfolios of Minister of Information and Communications and Minister for Tourism and Wildlife. By 2005 he had become well known for his feud with then roads minister
Raila Odinga Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He is assumed to be the Leader of Opposition in Kenya sin ...
. He political career was believed to be in danger, but on 8 December 2005, he became
foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
in a cabinet reshuffle. Prior to the 2005 referendum vote in Kenya, Tuju formed the Progressive People's Party (PPP) with a view to swaying votes away from the "orange No campaign". He joined Narc through the LDP. This was seen as an act of betrayal by his Rarieda constituents and by extension the Luo Nyanza populace of which he was a member. Tuju served as Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister from end of 2005 to end of 2007. On 5 August 2007, at the 29th Assilah Cultural Festival in Asillah, Morocco, Tuju derided European governments for policies that inhibited trade with Africa, of ramming punitive policies down the throats of poor African nations. He attacked unjust tariff and non-tariff barriers that would stifle the growth of Africa and widen the resource gap with Europe. Tuju, running as a candidate of Kibaki's Party of National Unity, lost his seat in the December 2007 parliamentary election. He was replaced as Foreign Minister by
Moses Wetangula Moses Francis Masika Wetang'ula (born 13 September 1956), is the current Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, as well as leader of the FORD-Kenya party. He served in the government of Kenya as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 20 ...
in the Cabinet named by Kibaki on 8 January 2008. From 2008 to 2011 Tuju served as Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kenya, on matters related to media and the management of diversity. He also served as Special Envoy of the President on various missions. In 2012, Tuju launched his new political vehicle for the presidency, the Party of Action (POA). In 2017, he became secretary general of the newly formed
Jubilee Party The Jubilee Party of Kenya was the ruling political party of the Republic of Kenya from 2016 until 13 September 2022. The party was founded on 8 September 2016, following the merger of 11 smaller parties. During the 2017 election, the Jubilee ...
. In 2018, Tuju was named by President
Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...
as cabinet secretary without portfolio.


Honors

Tuju was awarded the second highest civilian title in Kenya, E.G.H. (Elder of the
Golden Heart ''Golden Heart'' is the debut solo studio album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 26 March 1996 by Vertigo Records internationally and Warner Bros. Records in the United States. Following a successful career l ...
) by President
Mwai Kibaki Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki (15 November 1931 – 21 April 2022) was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013 and is regarded as one of Kenya's founding fathers. He had previously ser ...
for his many years of service to the people of Kenya in the area of health, human development and public service.


Personal life

In 1996, Tuju married Ruth Akinyi. They divorced in 2013. He has three children: two daughters and a son. On 12 February 2020, on the Nairobi–Nakuru highway, Tuju was involved in an auto accident while travelling to Kabarak to attend the burial of the late president of Kenya
Daniel arap Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He was the country's longest-serving president. Moi previously served as the third vice ...
.


References


External links


Transcript of Tuju's address of the UN General Assembly on 26 September 2006

Citizen TV article

BBC video

SDE article on being in cabinet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuju, Raphael 1959 births Living people Alumni of Starehe Boys Centre and School Alumni of the University of Leicester Jubilee Party politicians Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) National Rainbow Coalition politicians Party of National Unity (Kenya) politicians Communication ministers of Kenya Foreign ministers of Kenya Tourism ministers of Kenya