Murang’a County Governor Mwangi wa Iria on Tuesday, July 20, threw his weight behind Azimio – One Kenya coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga in a surprise move that has left tongues wagging.
The Usawa Kwa Wote party’s presidential aspirant joined forces with the former prime minister a month after he was denied clearance by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Mwangi wa Iria is currently serving his second and final term as governor of Murang’a County. He was first elected as governor in the 2013 general election on The National Alliance (TNA) party ticket, and re-elected for another five-year term in 2017.
Here are four little-known details you should know about him.
Mwangi wa Iria’s first name is Francis
The 57-year-old is known to many as Mwangi wa Iria. Very few people know his first name, mainly his close friends and colleagues. K24 Digital has established that the county boss, born on August 28, 1964, was given the name Francis at birth.
Studied at Moi University
The county boss attended Kiboi primary School and Wethanga Boys High School before proceeding to Moi University for higher education. He also received training from the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply in the United Kingdom.
Director of New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC)
Before joining politics, Mwangi wa Iria served as a Managing Director at the New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC).
Previously he served as the National Sales Manager of Kenya Breweries Ltd, Managing Director of Ngano Feeds Ltd, CEO of Freshco Seeds and General Manager of the Commercial Division of Industrial Promotion Services that brings together more than 30 companies owned by the Aga Khan Development Network.
Mwangi wa Iria’s Wife
Mwangi wa Iria is married to Jane Waigwe, a woman known in Murang’a for championing the plight of the less privileged in society.
The couple has three children. The grapevine has it that the governor’s firstborn daughter Rachael Wanja once dated businessman Ben Gatu, the baby daddy of Mike Sonko’s daughter, Saumu Mbuvi.
