Susan Kihika
Susan Wakarura Kihika, is a Kenyan lawyer and politician, who is the current Senator for Nakuru County. She was elected to that position in 2017.[1] Prior to that, she served as the first female speaker of Nakuru County Assembly.[1] Susan Kihika is also the President of the IPU Bureau of Women Parliamentarians.[2]
Susan Kihika | |
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Born | 1974 (age 45–46) Nakuru, Nakuru County, Kenya |
Nationality | Kenyan |
Citizenship | Kenyan |
Alma mater | University of North Texas (Bachelor of Arts in Political Science) Southern Methodist University (Juris Doctor) |
Occupation | Lawyer and politician |
Years active | 2006–present |
Known for | Leadership, Tenacity, Grit |
Home town | Nakuru |
Title | Senator for Nakuru County |
Background and education
She was born in Nakuru County around 1974. Her father is a Moi-era politician, the late Kihika Kimani (1930–2004). Susan is one of the 41 children that her father sired. She was his sixth child with his second wife, Alice.[3] Susan attended Busara Forest View Academy in Nyahururu and Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls’ High School in Nyeri. She then migrated to the United States around 1992, for further education.[3]
She was admitted to the University of North Texas, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. In 2006, she graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from the Law School of Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, Texas. Subsequently, she was admitted to the Texas Bar, after passing the requisite examinations.[4]
Career before politics
Following her graduation from law school, she worked in the public service. Later she left public service and established The Kihika Law Firm in Dallas, Texas. In 2012, after 20 consecutive years in the United States, Susan left and returned to her native Kenya[1][3][4]
Political career
In 2013, she contested the Bahati Constituency parliamentary seat but lost. She then went on to beat a field of seven opponents, to emerge as the first Assembly Speaker of Nakuru County.[3][4]
Family
Susan Kihika is the mother of two daughters, Tiffany and Ashley.[3]
See also
References
- Chege, Njoki (9 August 2017). "History as Kenya set to have first elected women senators". Daily Nation. Nairobi. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- "Bureau of Women Parliamentarians". Inter-Parliamentary Union. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- Mkawale, Steve (18 December 2016). "I am much more than my father's daughter, says Nakuru County Assembly Speaker Susan Kihika". The Standard. Nairobi. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- SoftKenya (2016). "Susan Kihika Biography,Education and Politics". Nairobi: SoftKenya.com. Retrieved 19 June 2018.