Dr Alfred Nganga Mutua (born 22 August 1970) was the 1st Official Kenyan Government Spokesperson and Public Communications Secretary.
[1] He resigned in September 2012 to vie for the position of Governor for
Machakos. He went on to win the election with 71% of the vote.
He was born in Masii, Machakos County and is married with several
children. He has lived, studied and worked in Kenya, USA, Australia and
the United Arab Emirates and has been a business man, lecturer, civil
servant and politician
Education
He was educated at Dagoretti High School (O level) and at Jamhuri High School (A level). He obtained his BA in Journalism from
Whitworth College in the United States and his MSc in Communication from
Eastern Washington University. He received his doctorate in communication and media from the
University of Western Sydney in Australia
Political career
Dr. Mutua became the first governor of
Machakos County, which is one of the counties established under the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 and was sworn on 27 March 2013.
He was elected on a Wiper Democratic Party ticket with 71% of the total vote.
Professional career
- Author
Dr. Mutua is the author of a self-help book, How To Be Rich in Africa
& other secrets of survival. Published in 2010, the book gives
insight into various ways of being a successful investor in Africa.
He is also the owner of a lifestyle magazine titled “Passion
Magazine” which covers various topical issues including food, fashion
spread, beauty, health & finance.
- Lecturer
Having sharpened his teeth through teaching Sunday school at his
local church when he was a young man, Dr. Mutua went on to become a
lecturer and assistant professor in his illustrious career. He was a
lecturer at Daystar University in Kenya, and also an Assistant Professor
at Zayed University in Dubai.
- Journalist
In a career spanning 15 years Dr. Mutua was a foreign correspondent
and a local journalist in Kenya's media industry. He is world-renowned
for his popular travel articles under the title of Msafiri. These
articles ran in several newspapers and magazines.
In an exclusive and record making interview, Dr. Mutua was the first
journalist to interview the new president of Zaire/Congo in the 90s Mr.
Joseph Kabila soon after he took over the country following his father's
assassination (while working for SBS Television of Australia).
Among the media houses that have published his articles are
Kenya Airways inflight magazine – Msafiri,
The Daily Nation,
East African Standard,
The Sydney Morning Herald,
The Billings Gazette, Spokesman Review, The Spokane African-American
Voice (where he served as the founding Editor), Valley News-Herald and
The East African.
- Movie director and producer
During his illustrious career, Dr. Mutua has even been involved in
movie making, writing and producing various productions. One of his
notable films was his movie, "And the Desert Smiled" (2004), which was
launched by U.A.E's H.E. Sheikh Nahavan. He also produced a documentary
titled “An African in America” (1997) and an award winning documentary
for UNIV titled “Housing As A Human Right Issue” (1998).
Dr. Mutua also runs a production company Golden Dreams Company Ltd
(GDC), which he set up at the age of 21. GDC produced Kenya's first
action TV series, the Cobra Squad as well as the family show, Beba Beba.
Cobra Squad was aired not only in Kenya.
Through GDC, Dr. Mutua also launched the East Africa Music Awards (EAMAs) in 2011.
Civil servant
Government spokesman and public communications secretary
Dr. Mutua was appointed the first official government spokesperson of
Kenya on June 2004. He served in that capacity until 3 September 2012.
He was also the public communications secretary and head of the Office of Public Communications in the Office of the President.
Under his stewardship in this office, Dr. Mutua is credited with
establishing a public campaign to promote patriotism, Najivunia Kuwa
Mkenya.
Dr. Mutua was also mandated with a couple of presidential tasks,
among the notable ones was to chair a task force that was charged with
ensuring that Mombasa was ready for the 2007 IAAF athletics
championships held in Mombasa.
