Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wa is an accountant by profession. He worked at Madison Insurance as a senior accountant, at the Standard Group as the financial controller and at Safex Africa as the Director for Finance and Administration before joining politics in 2013.
In the August 8, 2017, general polls, Kimani Ichung’wa was the only legislator elected unopposed in the country.
But away from politics, little is known about Kimani. In a quickfire, he revealed the 10 things most people probably didn’t know.
- Which three non-political words describe you?
Simple. Down-to-earth. Spontaneous.
- Growing up, were you the naughty kid or a sweet little angel?
*laughs* Hmmm … let’s just say I was an adventurous boy. I would ‘steal’ dad’s car and drive it from the house to the gate when I was about 13 years old. I did this so many times that by the time I was in Standard Eight, I was a good driver. I actually taught myself how to drive. I also remember experimenting with a cigarette lighter with other children and we ended up burning about seven acres of dry grass in a field.
- When you learnt you had been admitted to Alliance High School, what was your first reaction?
Excited! One, because I would be attending a good school that was near home and two, because I would get to be home every weekend.
- What was the craziest thing you were asked to do as a first former?
Fortunately, it was a very disciplined society. I must say that environment shaped me to become the man I am today.
- What is that one thing we do not know about you?
I will always speak my mind regardless of who you are. Take it or leave it!
- If there was a dancing competition; one, which genre of music would you prefer to dance to and two, how would you rate your score on a scale of 1 — 10 where 10 is excellent?
*laughs* I would want a song that is ‘rhythmless’ … you know like that song, where suddenly you ‘fall’? I dance worse than a ‘mzungu’.
My primary schoolteacher made me hate music as I could not differentiate the first doh and the last doh, and she always punished me for it.
- What is that one thing on your bucket list that you want to do?
Climbing both Mt Kenya and Kilimanjaro before I hit 50.
- How do you unwind?
Other than hanging out with my girls and gyming at least thrice a week, I enjoy hosting friends at home, where I get to serve them with juicy ‘mbuzi choma’ ribs, which are my favourite, with good rice. I love me some good food, clothes and a good bed … the finer things in life. I also enjoy farming and spending time taking care of my pigs and chicken.
- What’s your greatest achievement?
Being a father. Nothing beats the feeling of raising my three daughters, 12, 10 and two, and watching them growing up.
- What is your idea of self-actualisation?
I feel I have achieved when I see a life I have changed or empowered through education as I believe education is the only way to change the world.
When my elder brother passed on in 2002, I took up the responsibility of educating his son.
I later started educating other children in the neighbourhood. Prior to taking up these responsibilities, I would spend a sizeable chunk of my income on fine wines, expensive whiskeys, and I loved my steak.
I decided to give this up to help a child who had been kicked out of school.
