Occasionally, people tend to focus on careers that are completely different from the courses they studied while in college or university.
Well, Anne Kananu, the Governor of Nairobi County is not an exception. While politics was not her thing while growing up, her environment was filled with politicians.
In fact, when Kananu was first appointed as deputy governor for Nairobi county, her mother, in a TV interview, stated that being a politician was nothing close to her daughter's dream.
“We are so happy and grateful to God. We did our part by educating and nurturing her, but becoming the political head of Nairobi city was never in her wildest dreams,” Kananu’s mother stated in an interview.
Kananu was raised by an uncle who is currently a retired school driver. She wanted to be a detective, and had resolved at a very early age to study Criminology and Security management.
She pursued her dream and studied criminology in Kenya, before proceeding to the United States, where she received a certificate of crisis management from the US Department of Homeland Security.
The last born in a family of seven sat her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in 1999, after which she took a course in disaster management and security as well as active shooting and hostage training.
In 2013, after studying Public Relations and Human Resource from the University of Nairobi, Kananu, took a diploma course in Criminology and Security Management at St. Paul’s University.
After completing her diploma course, she enrolled at the Dedan Kimathi University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminology and Security Management, in 2016.
By this time, she was working as a security supervisor in charge of quality control and training at the Kenya Airports Authority where she stayed for 13 years.
Kananu landed a life-changing job in 2019, when she was appointed to head the Disaster Management and Coordination docket in ex-Nairobi governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko's government.
She maintained a low profile while working at the department, but her exemplary performance made her stand out, prompting Sonko to appoint her as his deputy governor.
Currently, Kananu is the governor of Nairobi county, making her the fourth female governor in the country, after Anne Waiguru, Charity Ngilu and the late Dr. Joyce Laboso.
