Kenyan lawyer Nzioka Waita rose to prominence when he was appointed Chief of Staff to former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Recently, he aligned himself with President William Ruto by joining a delegation of Machakos leaders at a meeting.
The move underscored President Ruto’s strategy to consolidate support in Ukambani.
But who is Nzioka Waita?
Nzioka Waita Career Background
Currently, Nzioka works as the Managing Director of Africa Advisory at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a position he has held since December 2024.
Prior to this, he served as Managing Partner at Momentum Africa Partners from October 2023 to December 2024, overseeing strategic advisory work across the continent.
In government, Waita held several senior positions in the Executive Office of the President.
Nzioka Waita served as Chief of Staff and Head of the Delivery Unit under President Uhuru Kenyatta from January 2018 to February 2022.
Before that, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff from March 2016 to January 2018 and as Secretary for Delivery from April 2015 to March 2016.
In these roles, he was responsible for coordinating key government initiatives, driving performance, and ensuring the effective implementation of presidential directives.
Waita spent over seven years at Safaricom Limited, where he held several senior roles. From November 2007 to April 2011, he served as Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs.
Between September 2010 and March 2011, he also took on the role of Head of Strategy and New Business, overseeing strategy formulation, execution, performance management, and the company’s mergers and acquisitions activities.
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From March 2011 to April 2015, he was Director of Corporate Affairs, responsible for legal matters, public policy, corporate responsibility, and communications.
In addition, Waita served as a Trustee of the Safaricom Foundation from August 2003 to April 2015, providing strategic guidance and governance oversight for the fund.
He also served as an independent Non-Executive Director at Alpha Africa Asset Management Company Limited from December 2013 to January 2015, advising on governance issues and regulatory best practices.
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Politics
In 2022, he ran for the Machakos governorship seat under the Chama Cha Uzalendo (CCU) party, with Florence Mwangangi as his running mate.
The former State House Chief of Staff had said his government would aim to achieve a Metropolitan status for Machakos by 2027.
While outlining his agenda for urban planning, Waita noted that Machakos had the potential to attain city status and that his administration was committed to ensuring the ambition was realized.
His manifesto prioritized health and education, proposing the employment of 2,000 additional teachers, the establishment of at least one youth polytechnic in every ward, and the addition of Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) classes.
However, he did not clinch the seat, paving the way for Wavinya Ndeti.
Educational Background
Nzioka Waita earned a Master of Laws in Computer and Communications Law from Queen Mary University of London, completing his studies between 2013 and 2015.
He previously obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Sheffield, where he studied from 1996 to 1999.
