Abisola SalahuThe richest senators in Kenya mostly have their wealth to thank for their political power and influence. In Kenya, money plays a very important part in politics; it is perhaps the most important deciding factor of any candidate’s chances of entering public office. This makes politics the exclusive territory of some kinds of people.
Senators in Kenya earn between Sh 621,250 and Sh 710,000 exclusive of allowances. This makes them some of the highest earning politicians in the whole of Africa.
Interestingly, some of the names on this list are familiar; they are descendants of old political families that have been accused of massive corruption. Whatever the case, Kenya has a lot of very wealthy people in politics; and politics continues to be quite lucrative.
Top 10 Richest Senators In Kenya
1. Gideon Moi
Gideon Moi is the favorite son of Kenya’s former President Daniel Arap Moi who ruled the country from 1978 to 2002, and who is accused of having enriched himself in the process through massive corruption.
Gideon Moi is quite an influential figure; he is the Senator of Baringo County. He also doubles as the chairman of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), which is one of the major political parties in the country, having been formed in 1944, as an organized opposition to the British Colonial Government.
Gideon Moi is said to have inherited immense wealth from his father; he has assets in Australia, London, New York, and South Africa. The Moi family also has enormous wealth bequeathed to them in Kenya. Gideon Moi controls investments such as Ranches, a Media Group, Real Estate, and other investments in Agriculture, Transport, and Aviation.
Dependable sources have revealed that Gideon Moi is worth at least £550 million (Sh 79.4 billion).
2. Moses Wetangula
Having been a Senator since 2013 during which he has been receiving outrageous salaries, Moses Wetangula is one of the richest Senators in Kenya. However, he has not just been collecting money; he is actually a seasoned politician who has contributed his quota to national discourse.
Moses Wetangula has served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2010 and he served again from 2011 to 2012. He has also been Minister for Trade from 2012 to 2013. Presently he is the leader of the FORD Party.
He owns many posh properties in Nairobi, and drives luxurious vehicles. He continues to make money as a partner in the law firm Wetangula, Adan, Makokha & Company Advocates.
Senator Wetang’ula’s net worth is estimated at Sh 2.4 billion.
3. Ephraim Maina
Ephraim Maina is the current Senator for Nyeri. He has been actively in politics since at least 2007 but has profited immensely by combining private enterprise with public service. He is the founder and chairman of Kirinyaga Construction, a big construction company in Kenya. His company has benefited from juicy government contracts; which have made him immensely wealthy.
Ephraim Maina is one of the most connected people in the country; and he has the money to show for it. He has plenty of real estate investments in Kenya; especially in the Nairobi area.
With so much money to his name, he is no longer contented with driving on the ground, but prefers to fly in the air. He owns helicopters which take him from place to place. His choppers number at least two; 5Y–PSM and 5Y–MNW.
4. Mithika Linturi
Mithika Linturi was the Senator of Meru County; but presently he serves as the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture. The whole of Kenya watched as if in a soap opera while he battled his estranged wife for every Shilling as they separated.
However, that separation and the legal battle that ensued was actually what revealed how wealthy he truly is. Presently, his net worth is estimated at KSh 1.2 Billion.
Some of the assets linked to him include: Ridge Estate – worth over Sh 56 million, Kyuna Estate, Kitengela – worth Sh4.2 million, and Kitengela International School. He also owns pieces of land worth over Sh 100 million in Kajiado county.
Mithika Linturi has served in various positions during his career; it is no surprise that he has made this much money.
5. Johnstone Muthama
Johnstone Muthama is a rich and powerful Kenyan political and business figure who served as Machakos Senator from 2013 – 8 August 2017. He has since started a political party known as UDA; he serves as Chairman of the Party. He was formerly of the Wiper party, but has since resigned from that political organization.
Johnstone Muthama shares political and economic ideologies with the President William Ruto. Johnstone Muthama is an immensely wealthy person; he is the owner of Rockstone Company; a large, privately held mining company that deals in gold, diamonds, and other precious stones.
He also has many other investments throughout the country; he has a ranch, apartment buildings, hotels, and transport services.
6. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr
Mutula Kilonzo Jnr served in the Senate representing the good people of Makueni County from 2013 to 2017. Interesting he succeeded his father who died in office. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr inherited a lot of assets and investments from his father who was a politician, and he too has been earning stupendous amounts in salaries since election. In fact he is presently the governor of Makueni.
Mutula Kilonzo Snr left behind a multi billion Ksh business empire; he was a significant shareholder in at least 30 companies including Barclays Bank, Standard Bank, Sameer, Safaricom, National Bank, Kenya Power, Firestone East Africa, Kenya Commercial Bank, Cooperative Bank, East Africa Breweries, and Kenya Airways.
7. Johnson Sakaja
Arthur Johnson Koskei Sakaja served as the Senator of Nairobi from 2017 to 2022. Now he is the Governor of Nairobi City County since 25 August 2022. Johnson Sakaja has distinguished himself as an energetic politician, and that has followed him into business. He is the CEO of Arthur Johnson Consultancy, which is a popular and well-connected cartel.
He is also the co founder of media company Seven Stars Media Limited, which does media and publicity works. Johnson Sakaja is also known as a philanthropist; he has made several big donations to many worthy causes over the years.
8. Onesmus Kipchumba Murkomen
Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen served as Senator for the good people of Elgeyo-Marakwet County. He is presently serving as the Cabinet Secretary for Roads, Transport, and Public works in Kenya.
Onesmus Kipchumba Murkomen declared his assets to be worth about Ksh500 million, and he further stated that he owns houses in Nairobi and Eldoret, as well as parcels of land in Nairobi, Trans Nzoia, Narok, and Kajiado. He also owns several luxury vehicles, as well as a luxury wheelbarrow.
He is on record to have claimed to make over KShs 1 million per month from his businesses; probably showing that he does not really need the money from the senatorial salary and allowances.
9. Kimani Wamatangi
Kimani Wamatangi represented the people of Kiambu County for two terms in the Kenyan Senate. Presently he is the Governor of Kiambu. Having earned that huge salary for around ten years he has no doubt been able to swell his purse significantly. However, it the information and influence which one has a senator in Kenya that brings in the money.
Kimani Wamatangi is a car dealer; he is the founder and chairman of Autobacs Kenya Limited. He is also associated with a number of companies including with Lub Plus Trading, Apex Security, Kings Realtors and Construction. Senator Wamatangi is no doubt one of the big boys of Kenyan politics.
Kimani Wamatangi has not been eating alone; he has reached out to bring succor to the needy through the establishment of the Wamatangi Foundation which is focused of empowering people, therefore eradicating poverty.
10. Susan Kihika
Susan Kihika served as senator representing the good people of Nakuru County 2017 till 2020. She was also Majority whip during her time, as a member of the Jubilee Party. She is presently serving as the governor of Nakuru.
Aside from her political positions and the huge salaries she has been receiving over the years, Susan Kihika also controls several businesses such as her family ranch, investments in agriculture, real estate, and so on.
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Finally
The richest senators in Kenya are mostly big business investors. One wonders whether this does not somehow cause a clash of interests; whether they will not be tempted to use their offices to bring undue advantages to their businesses, and companies in which they have investments. Nevertheless, it is always interesting to see how Kenyan senators and politicians put money on display; perhaps it can motivate others to join politics.