Peninah Malonza Biography – Peninah Malonza Wiki
Peninah Malonza is a Kenyan politician and a former Deputy Governor for Kitui County. She has been appointed as the new Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Tourism by President William Ruto. The announcement of her appointment was made on September 27, 2022, by the president when he named his cabinet secretaries. If approved by the national assembly, she takes after former CS Tourism Najib Balala who has served in the docket for more than 12 years cumulatively. His reign has spanned both the late Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta regimes. Balala pledged to offer full support to the incoming Tourism CS as she undertakes the new role of spearheading tourism in Kenya.
In a tweet, he wrote, “I welcome the appointment of Hon. Peninah Malonza as the New Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Wildlife, and Heritage. You have my full support. God Bless Kenya.”
Prior to venturing into politics, Malonza was a former senior executive with Compassion International – a non-governmental organization. The NGO supports vulnerable pupils in Kitui County. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. Her breakthrough and recognition were when she was chosen as Kitui’s deputy governor from 2013 to 2017. She served the residents of Kitui County as their deputy governor for a period of five years. In the 2017 general elections, she fell out with her then boss the governor of Kitui County Julius Malombe.
In an interesting political twist, she was named by former Kitui Senator David Musila as his running mate, while still serving under Governor Malombe, and campaigned hard to take over the governor’s position in the 2017 General Election. However, both Mr. Malombe and Mr. Musila lost the elections. In 2021, she announced her ambitions to unhorse the current Kitui County Woman Representative Irene Kasalu.
After her vetting, Malonza was however rejected by the majority leader Kimani Ichungwa. Mr. Kimani tabled a report to the committee on Appointments approving cabinet nominees except Malonza who is the CS Tourism nominee.
Peninah Malonza Age
She hails from Kibwea in Mutomo, Kitui County. Her home ground borders the Tsavo East National Park.
Peninah Malonza Net Worth
Her estimated net worth as of October 2022 is about Ksh. 300 million. Her net worth comprises prime land in Mombasa, Kajiado, Kitui, and Nairobi. It is also made up of Sacco shares, vehicles, livestock, and farming business as shared during her vetting session.
