Former powerful head of the civil service Jeremiah Kiereini has died.
Kiereini died on Monday evening at the age of 90. He was Kenya’s third head of civil service, having joined the colonial administration at the height of the Mau Mau rebellion.
Kiereini was born in 1929 in Kibicho, and later attended Alliance High School and Makerere University.
After his career in the civil service, he joined the business world and once served as the chairperson of the East African Breweries Limited (then KBL) and later CMC motors. He also had interests in real estate, insurance, coffee farming and the hospitality industry, which made him worth billions.
He was one of the biggest investors in the NSE, having his fingers and even serving in the boards of many companies including CFC Stanbic, Heritage Insurance and UNGA group limited.
In the last 9 years, Kiereini has lost 2 sons in unclear circumstances. In 2017, his son Githae’s decomposing body was found in an apartment in Karen. He was 43 and was living alone. It was a suspicious cleaning lady who discovered the body after her phone calls went unanswered for a while. His other son had died just 6 years prior.
Following the death of Kiereini, president Uhuru Kenyatta has sent his condolence message. He has referred to the late as a ‘polished patriot and loyal Kenyan’.
“Mr. Kereini was a polished patriot and loyal Kenyan who served this country with dedication as a public servant for over 30 years rising through the ranks to the position of Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet,” he stated.
