Alfred Mutua

Alfred Nganga Mutua (born 22 August 1970) is a Kenyan journalist and politician who is the current Minister for Tourism and Wildlife.

He formerly served as the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs under President William Ruto.

In 1989, at the age of 19, he registered his first company Golden Dreams Company and started publishing a newsletter/magazine called Golden Times.

While in the United States for further education, he published stories for several American newspapers and started video production work, producing "An African in America" documentary in 1996.

He worked for several TV stations including PBS in Seattle, Washington.

He later worked for Nation Media Group as a reporter and features writer from 1997.

Later in Australia, Mutua's works were published by The Sydney Morning Herald and worked as a foreign correspondent for SBS TV's international magazine show Dateline.

He also lectured at the University of Western Sydney, Macquarie University, and several TAFE colleges in Sydney.

Starting in 1999, he wrote a popular weekly travel feature called "Msafiri" for the Friday edition of the Daily Nation Newspaper and became a contributor of opinion pieces for the Sunday Nation.

In 2002, he was poached from Sydney and moved to The United Arab Emirates as an assistant professor of Communication and Media at Zayed University.

While in the UAE – Dubai and Abu Dhabi, he undertook research in the Middle East and travelled to Oman and Beirut, Lebanon to present papers and research on the use of media and communication for peace and development.

While in Dubai, Mutua continued producing films and, in 2002, he made "And the Desert Smiled," a film about always hoping and winning.

Mutua was appointed the first official government spokesperson of Kenya in June 2002 by the then President Mwai Kibaki.

In 2003, Mutua undertook consultancy work at the then Nation TV, training and assisting journalists transition to modern broadcasting standards as the station changed its name and look to NTV.

Later on, in 2005, he revived his company Golden Dreams Company and made Kenya's first modern action TV series, "Cobra Squad," which gained a huge following in the region.

He also produced other shows including "Beba Beba" and "How to be Rich in Africa".

Mutua was also mandated with a couple of presidential tasks, among the notable ones was to chair a task force in charge of the candidacy of Mombasa to host the 2007 World Championships in Athletics.

Mutua served at a time when the country was undergoing major conflicts and scandals and he managed to raise the stature of the office by ensuring members of public and media had access to government information.

He published a fashion magazine called "PASSION" and wrote a book titled "How to be Rich in Africa and Other Secrets of Survival" among many other ventures that included the East African Music Awards in 2011.

He is also the Proprietor of Woni TV station and has diverse interests in the Hotel Industry, Aviation, and Real Estate.

He was the Kenyan government's spokesman before resigning in 2012 to run for the Machakos County Gubernatorial seat.

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.

He was charged with the duty of collecting information and analyzing events within the set-up of the government.

Essentially, his work entailed communicating information to and from media, government ministries, state corporations and the public on behalf of his employer, the State.

Under his stewardship in this office, Mutua established a public campaign initiative to promote Kenya's identity, image, culture, and pride among Kenyans and to encourage them to appreciate the positive attributes of their country.

The campaign was dubbed "Najivunia Kuwa Mkenya".

He is also remembered for running a Nairobi beautification program which included beautifying Uhuru Highway, repainting zebra crossings, installation of street CCTVs and most notably setting up a building address system in Nairobi CBD.

Before joining the government, Mutua served as the 1st Governor of Machakos County for two terms, from 2013 to 2017 and from 2018 to 2022.

In March 2013, Mutua was sworn in as the first governor of Machakos County, which is one of the 47 counties established under the Constitution of Kenya.

He was elected on a Wiper Democratic Movement Party ticket alongside Bernard Kiala as his deputy governor.

He is the founder of the Maendeleo Chap Chap (MCC) Party which was established on 25 August 2016.

Mutua was born in Masii, Machakos County.

He has lived, studied and worked in Kenya, the United States, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, and has been a journalist, businessman, lecturer, civil servant, and politician.

He was educated at Dagoretti High School (O level) and at Jamhuri High School (A level).

He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Whitworth College and his Master of Science in communication from Eastern Washington University.

He received his doctorate in communication and media from the University of Western Sydney in Australia.

Mutua began his career as a journalist while still in high school, publishing his first story in the daily newspapers at the age of 15.

After high school, he wrote features for The Sunday Nation, The Standard newspaper, and the defunct Kenya Times Newspaper.

In August 2016, Mutua launched a political party called Maendeleo Chap Chap Party.