Profile of Joy Kiugu: Meru Minister Who Arrived at Her Swearing-In in a Chopper

Joy Kiugu Karwitha, the Meru Lands County Executive Committee (CEC) member nominee, turned heads when she arrived on a helicopter at the Kinoru Stadium on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, ahead of her swearing-in ceremony.

On May 6, 2025, Joy Karwitha Kiugu’s nomination was officially approved by the Meru County Assembly, following the resignation of Isaac Kinoti Marete, who formally tendered his resignation.

Kiugu chartered a helicopter to ensure a timely arrival for her swearing-in ceremony, a move that captured public attention.

She joins other newly appointed CECS, including Monica Kathono for Finance, Economic Planning and ICT, Dennis Mugambi for Health, Carol Kaberia for Tourism, Esther Rukunga for Education, Science and Arts, and Maranya Mari for Legal Affairs and Public Service Management.

Joy Karwitha Kiugu is 32 years old and is known as a football enthusiast and a proud supporter of Liverpool Football Club.

Joy Kiugu Educational Background

She went to school at Awalegio Visitation for her primary education in Timau where she did her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), before joining Kakadau High School where she completed her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).

She proceeded to the University of Nairobi (UoN), where she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 2013.

In addition, she holds a master’s degree in management information systems from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).

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Career Background

Kiugu, started her professional life as a graduate trainee at Technology Associates. She would later join Computech Limited, and later Riviera Technologies in her earlier stages of her career. 

Currently, she is serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cyber East Africa Limited, a cybersecurity company with operations across East Africa.

During her vetting, she stated that she had held managerial positions for the past seven years, which she believed had prepared her well for her new role.

Joy expressed that her expertise in ICT would be instrumental in advancing Meru County through digitization, automation of processes, and optimization of existing systems.

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Plan for Meru County

Joy Kiugu shared that, for the first 100 days in office, her primary focus would be on digitizing and automating processes, as well as optimizing the existing systems.

Although she acknowledged that, she was not aware of the county’s GIS or land information management systems. Kiugu highlighted her plan to focus on digitizing processes, with a particular emphasis on land registries, to improve efficiency.

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