Amason Kingi: Alliance Alumnus Who Rose To Senate Speaker

Amason Jeffah Kingi was born in 1974 in the Magarini constituency in Kilifi County, which happens to be four years before the death of Kenya's founding president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, in 1978.

Kingi began his primary school education at Magarini primary school in 1980 before he proceeded to Alliance Boys High School from 1989 to 1992. By way of him being in Alliance, he joins the likes of James Orengo, Makau Mutua, Kenneth Matiba, Kiraitu Murungi among others.

Kingi graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor's Degree in Law and holds a diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law (KSL), where he graduated in 1998.

Newly-elected Senate Speaker, Amason Kingi. /FILE

He practised law under a private firm in Mombasa where he was an advocate and partner between 2000 and 2003 and also served as a district coordinator for the Kilifi District under the Constitution of Kenya Reform Commission (CKRC).

However, he ditched his career as an attorney to pursue politics and became one of the youngest politicians to serve in the late former president Mwai Kibaki's government as Magarini Member of Parliament between 2003 and 2013.

In 2007, he vied for the seat once again under the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party and was successful.

Kingi had prestigious roles as the Minister for Fisheries Development, a position he took over from Paul Otuoma between 2010 and 2013.

He also worked at the East African Community (EAC) as the Minister for East African Community Affairs between 2008 and 2010, after which Helen Sambili replaced her.

Kingi became Kilifi County's first governor under the promulgated 2010 Constitution, a position he held for five years and defended in 2017.

He surprised political figures by joining William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza Alliance in May 2022, dumping Raila Odinga's Azimio La Umoja Coalition.

He formed his own party, the Pamoja African Alliance (PAA). Despite very little known about his private life, he is married to Liz Kingi and together, they have been blessed with two children.

Kingi succeeds Kenneth Lusaka as the Senate Speaker, the youngest at the age of 48 as Lusaka was born in 1963. He is the third person to hold the role under the 2010 Constitution.

"I am profoundly honoured and overwhelmed by the great honour and privilege you have bestowed upon me by electing me as your Speaker. I am touched by the immense confidence and trust you have placed in me.

"I, therefore, accept with humility and pledge that I shall perform to my utmost ability the constitutional responsibilities and duties of the office of the Senate Speaker for the next five years with diligence and decorum," he said in his inaugural speech.

Kingi won with 46 votes out of 67 following an election exercise carried out on Thursday, September 8. Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka had pulled out of the race at the last minute, blowing open an opportunity for the former Kilifi County governor to clinch the seat.

Wiper party leader, Kalonzo Musyoka. /FILE