Godfrey Gitahi Kariuki profile

About GG Karikui

Senator G.G. Kariuki has lifelong experience in public service having featured in all post-independence governments. As a long-serving legislator, he was elected into the first National Assembly in May 1963 as Member representing Laikipia-Nanyuki, a constituency that consisted of the present-day Laikipia County.

When the constituency was split into two in 1970, he was elected to represent Laikipia West and continued to be re-elected until 1983. In 1993, he was nominated into Parliament and served for one term. He was re-elected during the 2002 elections and served another term. Following the implementation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, he was elected Senator, Laikipia County.Sen. GG was appointed Assistant Minister for Lands, Settlement and Physical Planning in 1972 from where he joined the Cabinet in 1979 as Minister of State in the Office of the President in charge of Internal Security and Provincial Administration.

In 1983, he was moved to the Lands, Settlement and Physical Planning docket serving up to the end of the year. He is renowned for spearheading the resettlement of the landless in Laikipia during the formative post-independence years.

He has served in many other senior capacities, including Chairs of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations, and Member of the Parliamentary Service Commission. He was also Chairman of KANU, Laikipia, for a long time.

G G Kariuki Biography

Name:   Godfrey Gitahi Kariuki

DOB:    1938, Laikipia, Kenya

Status:  Married

G G Kariuki Education Background

G G Kariuki Political Career

He served as minister of Lands and Settlement from June 20 to February 25, 1982 (by then it was called Lands, Settlement and Physical Planning Ministry).G.G. actively participated in Kenya’s political development as far back as 1952 when at 15, he took an oath pledging his allegiance to the unity of the Gikuyu, to liberate the country from colonialists.

G G Kariuki contributed in formation of the Kenya African National Union in May 1960 and was elected chairman of Laikipia branch.

Upon attaining independence in 1963, G G Kariuki was elected a member of parliament for the area and when he successfully defended the seat in the 1969 general elections, he was appointed Assistant Minister for Lands, Settlement and Physical Planning.

After the death of Jomo Kenyatta in 1978, he was appointed a minister in the office of the President, in charge of Internal Security and Provincial Administration, and later transferred to his former Ministry of Lands, Settlement and Physical Planning.

G G Kariuki will be remembered for the role he played in the settlement of the landless in Laikipia which was previously part of the white highlands.

He formed a land buying company, Laikipia West Farmers Company, which was instrumental in settling thousands of small scale farmers in Laikipia.

In 1966, touched by the plight of the landlessness in the country,G.G had tried to influence policy by introducing a motion in Parliament which sought to establish a policy that no land for settlement would cost more than 10 per acre.

This motion led to the formation of an inquiry to investigate and recommend to the government the price of land for settlement.

Though he had also proposed that the government compulsorily acquire all land owned by foreigners to be used for settling the landless, this never came to be as the government favoured the policy of willing buyer willing seller.

G G Kariuki Political Position

G G Kariuki Membership

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