Wilson Ndolo Ayah (29 April 1932 – 16 March 2016) was a Kenyan politician. He served as Minister for Foreign Affairs (Kenya), Foreign Minister from 1990 to 1993 during Kenya's return to a multi-party system of governance. Wilson Ndolo Ayah served in the government of

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 ...

as minister from 18 August 1987 when he was first appointed Minister for Research Science and Technology. He was also a beneficiary of the Kennedy Airlifts.Kenyan Student Airlifts to America 1959-1961: An Educational Odyssey By Stephens, Robert F. East African Educational Publishers (Jan, 2014)

Early life and education

Ndolo Ayah was born in

Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa (census 2019). It is the third-largest city after Kampala and Mwanza in the Lake Victoria Basin. Apart from being an important polit ...

Seme Kitambo village, Kenya and educated at Ngere School,

Maseno School Maseno School is among the oldest formal education school in Kisumu County in Kenya. It was established in 1906 by the Missionaries of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) as a school for the children of African chiefs. The first administrator o ...

and

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of n ...

. Ayah was a beneficiary of the Kennedy Airlifts in 1959. He attended the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

graduating with an MSc in

rural sociology Rural sociology is a field of sociology traditionally associated with the study of social structure and conflict in rural areas. It is an active academic field in much of the world, originating in the United States in the 1910s with close ties ...

Political life

Ndolo Ayah was first elected to parliament in the general elections of December 1969 as MP for

Kisumu Rural Constituency Kisumu Rural Constituency was a former electoral constituency in Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Na ...

. He lost in 1974, but was elected MP in the neighboring Kisumu Town Constituency in 1983. In the 1988 elections he switched constituencies with the late Dr Robert Ouko, becoming once again MP for Kisumu Rural until the year 1992. Ndolo Ayah then served as a nominated member of parliament from 1992-1997 when he retired from elective politics. Ndolo Ayah then went on and served as the first chairman of

Safaricom Safaricom PLC is a listed Kenyan mobile network operator headquartered at Safaricom House in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the largest telecommunications provider in Kenya, and one of the most profitable companies in the East and Central Africa region. T ...

ltd the leading mobile network operator in Kenya. During his tenure as Chairman Ndolo Ayah and his team grew the company and watched it grow from a start up to one of the largest company in East Africa.

Personal life

He married Caroline Herine (1944–1994) in 1966 and had one son Dr.Richard Ayah. He is Grandfather to Craig Ndolo Ayah, Hawi Tyler, Matthew Ayah and Mayiana Ayah.

References

Kenya Gazette 19 Dec 1969 Kenya Gazette 1987 www.mfa.go.ke https://www.nation.co.ke/news/Uhuru-Kenyatta-mourns-Ndolo-Ayah-death/1056-3120430-isxlsi/index.html https://citizentv.co.ke/news/former-powerful-kanu-minister-wilson-ndolo-ayah-dies-at-84-118628/ http://aptantech.com/2016/03/safaricoms-first-board-chairman-wilson-ndolo-ayah-passes-on/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayaha, Wilson Ndolo 1932 births 2016 deaths Government ministers of Kenya University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Kenya African National Union politicians Foreign ministers of Kenya