Before his ambitious career was abruptly halted, suspended National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) CEO Geoffrey Gitau Mwangi was once a focused church goer respected by religious leaders.
He was a dedicated altar boy who diligently built a career while espousing a caring persona through constantly participating in community fundraisers that made him a go-to hotshot CEO by various church leaders.
His ascent, however, hit a snag after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) accused him, alongside his finance officer Wilbert Kurgat, of blocking investigations into the loss of Kshs2 billion at the organisation.
Mwangi was raised as an altar boy in Kamwaura in Nakuru constituency, who came from humble beginnings of struggling through the school system, while his parents tended on their small-scale farm.
The embattled CEO was then introduced to Nairobi life in 1988 after he moved into a one-roomed apartment in Githurai.
The former CEO then worked his way up until he was selected to head NHIF in 2016.
In 2018, however, his downward spiral began. The DPP accused him of blocking investigations which lead to his court charge on Wednesday.
The board, which had appointed him in 2016, immediately held a meeting and resolved to send him on compulsory leave replacing him with Nicodemus Odongo on an acting capacity.
According to Daily Nation, the embattled CEO had even shown signs to run for elected office although he had not publicly declared any plans to ever make the move.
"Our son has never told us that he wants to be governor of Nakuru as people say. However, a leader is chosen by God and, if he comes and tells us he wants to run for political office, we shall bless him," his father Laban Mwangi remarked.
