Kenyans.co.ke presents some of the outstanding individuals that managed to keep Kenyans talking throughout 2018.
Topping the coveted list was none other than Kenya’s brand-new face in the fight against corruption and crime, DPP Noordin Haji and his counterpart DCI boss George Kinoti.
1.Noordin Haji
Haji, who is also a son of Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji, officially took charge in March, replacing his predecessor Keriako Tobiko.
The DPP clearly sent shivers down the spine of the high and mighty after fearlessly cracking down on the private sector, state officers and politicians accused of corruption.
Prior to his appointment, Haji was serving as Deputy Director in the National Intelligence Service (NIS). He is also an advocate of the High Court with 19 years of experience.
2.George Kinoti
Kinoti declared publicly that cartels and people who benefited from shoddy corruption investigations were set for a rude shock.
True to his words, it is reported that despite deliberate efforts by some influential officials to cover up the NYS case, he successfully brought the matter to the president’s attention, resulting in numerous arrests.
His responsibilities involve leading the Investigations Department, Flying Squad, Banking Fraud Investigations Unit (BFIU), Cyber Crime, Special Crime Prevention Unit, and the Bomb Disposal Unit among others
He took over in January after his predecessor Ndegwa Muhoro, was relinquished of his duties by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
3.Fred Matiangi
The interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Fred Matiang’i is arguably the most renown member of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Cabinet.
When the Head of State reconstituted his cabinet after re-election, Matiang’i prominently featured doubling as the Interior Ministry boss and the acting Education CS - a role he later handed over to Amina Mohamed.
On January 12, Matiang’i directed that all schools buses be painted yellow by March 30 in a bid to streamline transport in the education sector.
In April, in a move meant to tighten the immigration process, CS Matiang’i issued a 60-day ultimatum for all foreigners working in Kenya to regularise their work permits.
In mid-October, the CS announced a major crackdown meant to sanitize the matatu industry once and for all.
Moreso, even after his exit from the Ministry of Education, Matiang’i’s influence still lingered on like a spell.
4.Kivutha Kibwana
Since his election in 2013, Makueni governor Kivutha Kibwana has emerged as the shining star of devolution.
Makueni has had massive improvements in health services, with the most recent being the opening of the Mother and Child Hospital that cost only Sh135 million to construct and fully equip.
Makueni now has one of the lowest infant mortality rates. There are functioning ambulances and accessible primary health facilities in every ward.
Instead of huge huge infrastructural projects, Prof Kibwana has focused on the poorest, to improve their livelihoods by providing agricultural services at the grassroots.
Details of all projects, from how much, to whom and how they were selected, are in the public domain, available to everyone to scrutinize and challenge.
5.Okiya Omtata
Okiya Omtatah, an activist and Executive Director of Kenyans for Justice and Development Trust, is one man that has stood with Kenyans in recent times in the face of injustices.
Omtata, famed for being at the forefront of public interest litigation, has continued to become a common figure in the corridors of courts even though he is not a lawyer and has never been to law school.
Ironically, it is alleged that some lawyers have cried foul claiming that Omtatah was stealing their jobs.
He has over the years filed numerous cases challenging some decisions by the government.
In September, Omtata, moved to court to challenge the Finance Act, 2018, which Members of Parliament had passed amid outcry from members of the public.
Coincidentally, Kenyans online started a campaign to fundraise for him urging the public to send him as low as Ksh10 for photocopies, transport and the filing of the cases.
6.Eliud Kipchoge
For many years, marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge's performance on the roads has been untouchable.
Acclaimed as the greatest marathon runner of the modern era, the 33-year-old has dominated racing since making his debut in Hamburg in 2013 after a successful track career that saw him win world gold and silver (2003, 2007) in the 5000m and Olympic silver and bronze (2008, 2004) over the same distance.
In September, he redefined the impossible showing how far and how fast the human body could be pushed by winning the Berlin marathon in a world record of 2:01:39.
In doing so, he shattered the world record by 1 minute and 18 seconds.
On December 4, Kipchoge was named the 2018 IAAF male athlete of the year at a colourful ceremony in Monaco.
7.Kanze Dena
In June, former Citizen TV anchor Kanze Dena was appointed to a newly created position of Deputy State House Spokesperson and Deputy Head of PSCU.
Kanze became the first female State House Spokesperson and Head of PSCU in the history of Kenya.
Previously called the President’s Press Service, PSCU is primarily charged with the responsibility of packaging and delivery of the President’s communication using multiple established media platforms and outlets.
Past holders of the office, whose role has grown over the years, include Lee Njiru and Amb. Isaiah Kabira, who is now serving as Kenya’s High Commissioner to Australia.
8.Jessie Lessit
Justice Lessit, the judge in charge of the criminal division in Kenya, is respected and feared in equal measure by lawyers who have appeared in her courts.
She has been described as a no-nonsense judge and many believe in her professionalism with a well-known record of rulings.
In July, she unapologetically sentenced former Langata Prisons beauty queen Ruth Kamande to death who was charged for stabbing her boyfriend 22 times.
On November 1, she sentenced a Rwandese woman, who had been accused of killing her boyfriend, to life imprisonment on grounds that she did it deliberately.
She is also the presiding judge in the Sharon Otieno's murder case where Migori Governor Okoth Obado is implicated.
However, in Monica Kimani's murder case where TV journalist Jacque Maribe and fiancé Joseph 'Jowie' Irungu were implicated, she recused herself and appointed Justice James Wakiaga to take over.
9.Joash Ombati
In October, Administration Police Constable, Joash Ombati, apprehended two gangsters, Sameer Abdulaziz Kassim and Peter Kavoi Musili in Westlands, after they threw a man out of a moving vehicle.
Ombati reacted swiftly by deciding to pursue the two using a taxi and managed to intercept them at the junction in the area.
He fired eight rounds of ammunition without injuring anyone and managed to recover Ksh 400,000 from a reported payout.
Interior CS Dr. Fred Matiang'i later awarded Ombati with a Distinguish Service Award certificate for the act of performing his duty against the odds that faced him.
10.King Kaka
King Kaka is arguably one of the most sought-after artists in Kenya, having released five albums and a myriad of mixtapes in his lustrous career so far.
In 2018 his career seemed to be rising higher even as he trod on paths no other Kenyans had managed to walk before.
He was recently one of the speakers at a conference held in New York by Bill and Melinda gates where he shared the stage with other famous global personalities such as Ed Sheeran and Graca Machel.
He also became the first East African artist to be interviewed by top New York radio station Hot 97 where he met famed American comedian Tracy Morgan and featured him on one of the tracks in his latest album.
Most recently, King Kaka's song 'Dundaing' featuring Kristoff and Magix Enga, was played in the US at the NBA game between Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers.
11.Auma Obama
Auma Obama, the half-sister of former US President Barack Obama, made headlines in July when she launched a Sauti Kuu, a transformative multi-million-shilling sports and resource centre in Siaya which would serve an estimated 1,000 young Kenyans on a weekly basis.
Presiding over the launch of Sauti Kuu Foundation Sports, Resource and Vocational Training Centre, was President Obama who made his first visit to Kenya since leaving the presidency.
The center comprises an international standard-size football pitch sponsored by the German Ministry for Development Cooperation, a basketball court sponsored by the Giants of Africa Foundation and a volleyball and netball court.
Other facilities include a library, an information technology laboratory and a vocational centre.
According to Auma, the facility had already registered 470 children, as well as employing about 80 youths and 87 parents.
12.Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Nyong'o, the daughter of Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, became one of the best-paid actresses in Kenya and globally after her role in the film Black Panther, which features a cast of black stars.
The 34-year-old actress played Special Forces warrior Nakia and appeared in several scenes for the entire movie.
According to Forbes, Lupita's worth is valued at $215 million making her a front-runner in global actress earning scale.
13.Larry Madowo
In December, Larry Madowo, a Kenyan journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), was named among 100 most influential Africans by New African Magazine.
The celebrated anchor's name appeared alongside 10 other Kenyans among them Catherine Gicheru, an investigative reporter who founded The Star Newspaper.
“His appointment reflects the BBC growing interest in African coverage and the group has just opened its largest bureau outside the UK in Madowo’s backyard: Nairobi,” wrote the magazine.
Larry is currently BBC Africa Business Editor. He resigned from NTV in March 2018 to join the BBC.
He previously worked for other major networks including KTN, NTV, and CNBC Africa.
