42 Years As A Public Servant ,Served With 4 Presidents The Story Of Joseph Kinyua

On Thursday, 27th October 2022, Joseph Kinyua stepped down as the Head of Public Service. This comes after an illustrious career spanning four decades, serving with 4 Presidents.

Joseph Kinyua was a central figure in the execution of economic policies, crafting Kenya’s annual budget and issuing circulars to parastatals.

Kinyua was known as a workaholic who would show up for work as early as 4 a.m.  President Kenyatta reportedly trusted him so much that even cabinet secretaries had to go via him before presenting anything to the head of state.

At the age of 62, Mr. Kenyatta appointed Kinyua as Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service, making him the most powerful public official.

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He began his career as an assistant lecturer at UoN in 1978 before joining the Central Bank as an economist two years later.

Later on, he attained the position of director of research. Before returning to the CBK, he served as an economist at the International Monetary Fund from 1985 to 1990.

He joined the CBK as Director of Financial Markets after serving as Financial Secretary of the Treasury from 1995 to July 1999.

In October 2000, he was promoted to the CBK’s chief economist position, where he worked for two years.

In 1980, he joined the government as a young economist working for the Kenyan Central Bank. The 70-year-old worked his way up to be within earshot of the presidents of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru Kenyatta, and William Ruto.

In 2002, just a few months before President Daniel Moi’s exit, he served as Permanent Secretary. Additionally, the University of Nairobi alumni served as the government of retired President Kenyatta’s Head of Public Service for the previous nine years.

This comes after years of bouncing back and forth between the Ministries of Finance and Planning and Development, with the exception of a brief stay at the Ministry of Agriculture before moving on to the State House.

By overseeing Cabinet activities and its programs, he was the heart of the president, and his elevation put him in charge of leading the government on the President’s behalf.

Dr. Kinyua held down the fort as the permanent secretary while Mr. Kenyatta was serving as the minister of finance, developing a strong friendship in the process.

Although Nzioka Waita eventually took over as Chief of Staff, he continued to be the second-most powerful person in the State House, implementing presidential orders in addition to managing and directing ministries and departments.

In September 2002, he accepted the job of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, which he held until January 2003, when he was named Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Planning and National Development.

Mr. Kinyua was named Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture in July 2003. He held this position until July 2004, at which point he was reappointed, this time to the Ministry of Finance.

Joseph Kinyua from Nyeri has always been a man of few words since he is frugal and despises flamboyance.

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