From TV anchor to CS without portfolio: Raphael Tuju's many lives

Raphael Tuju resigned his membership of the Jubilee Party on August 19, 2025.

In a letter addressed to former president and party leader Uhuru Kenyatta he said he no longer 'saw value he could add to the organisation' and thanked Kenyatta for the opportunity to serve, paying tribute to the 2018 handshake as a pivotal act for national stability. 

Born on March 30, 1959, Raphael Tuju was educated at Majiwa Primary School and Starehe Boys’ Centre.

He holds a Master of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of Leicester.

Tuju began his professional life in broadcast journalism and later worked as a television news anchor, producer and communications consultant.

He founded Ace Communications and contributed opinion pieces to national newspapers before moving fully into politics.

These years in media established his public profile and provided the communications experience that defined his early public service. 

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Tuju’s parliamentary and ministerial career began after the 2002 elections, when he was elected MP for Rarieda, serving from 2002 to 2007.

During that period he served in several ministerial portfolios including Information and Communications and the Tourism and Wildlife dockets, and in a 2005 cabinet reshuffle he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs

After losing his parliamentary seat in 2007 he served in advisory and envoy roles under President Mwai Kibaki.

He later played a central role in the formation and administration of the Jubilee Party in 2016, serving as its secretary general during the party’s formative years and remaining a senior party figure through the 2013 and 2017 cycles.

In January 2018 President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed Tuju as a cabinet secretary without docket, a position he held until the end of the administration’s term in 2022.

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Outside politics, Tuju has long-standing investments in real estate and hospitality.

His company Dari Limited borrowed from regional lenders to develop properties in Karen and related hospitality projects.

The loan relationship with the East African Development Bank led to prolonged litigation and enforcement actions, and courts intermittently extended conservatory orders while disputes over multi-billion shilling obligations were litigated.

Tuju has repeatedly sought and in some instances secured temporary judicial relief as creditors pursued recovery of secured assets. 

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Tuju married Ruth Akinyi in 1986; the marriage ended in divorce in 2013.

He is a father of three and has been a recipient of state honours including the Elder of the Golden Heart.

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Over more than two decades he has remained a visible commentator on media policy, governance and national unity.

His resignation from Jubilee closes a sustained chapter in which he combined a media background with high political office and party administration.