19/05/2026
FRANCIS MWANGI (Wa Iria)
Born on August 28, 1964, in Kahuro to humble peasant parents, Wa Iria’s rise resembles the classic Kenyan hustler narrative. From the dusty classrooms of Kiboi Primary and Weithaga Boys High School to the halls of Moi University and later procurement studies in the United Kingdom, his journey steadily evolved from village ambition into national prominence.
Long before politics, Wa Iria built a formidable corporate résumé. He climbed through the ranks at Kenya Breweries, Ngano Feeds, Freshco Seeds, and the Aga Khan-linked Industrial Promotion Services before eventually taking over New KCC as Managing Director. It was there that he crafted the identity that would later define his political brand the “milkman of Murang’a.”
When devolution arrived in 2013, Wa Iria seized the moment with ruthless political precision, winning the Murang’a governorship under TNA before securing a second term through Jubilee in 2017. Unlike many county bosses obsessed with flashy projects, he heavily invested in dairy farming, milk coolers, and high-yield cattle subsidies, directly targeting the economic backbone of rural Murang’a households. To thousands of farmers, he was not merely a governor he was an economic liberator.
His influence rapidly expanded beyond county borders, eventually earning him the Vice Chairmanship of the Council of Governors in 2019. But Wa Iria was never designed for quiet politics. In 2022, he launched the Usawa Kwa Wote movement and flirted with a presidential bid, presenting himself as the voice of ordinary Kenyans against elite-controlled politics. Even after political roadblocks forced him into the Azimio coalition, he remained combative, dramatic, and impossible to ignore.
Yet, just as his supporters describe him as bold, critics point to a long trail of controversy that has shadowed his rise.
The most explosive is the ongoing Kes 543 million corruption case tied to alleged irregular media tenders during his tenure as governor.