Joseph Kamotho

John Joseph Kamotho (J. J. Kamotho; 5 December 1942 – 6 December 2014) was a Kenyan politician. He held many Cabinet portfolios including Education, Trade, and Environment and Natural Resources. Kamotho was a former member of parliament for Mathioya Constituency and Kangema Constituency.[1]

Early life and education

Kamotho was born on 5 December 1942 in Gacharageini village in Murang'a District.[2][3] He joined the Muthangari Primary School in Murang'a in 1948 and sat for CE in 1952. He later joined Njumbi Intermediate School in 1955. In 1958, he sat the Kenya African Preliminary Examination and was admitted to Nyeri High School. He sat for the Cambridge Secondary Education Examination in 1962 and obtained a Division Two.[4]

He worked for the East African Customs and Excise as a trainee customs officer in Mombasa and later joined Standard Chartered Bank. He applied for a Russian scholarship and joined the Moscow State University in 1964 where he study economics but quit after a year later. He later got a scholarship from the Institute for International Education, which enables him study at Syracuse University in the US and obtained a degree in liberal arts.[4]

After finishing his first degree in 1968, he returned to Kenya to teach at the Kenya Institute of Administration. In 1969, he went to study at the University of Birmingham and obtained a master's degree in Development Administration and Social Sciences.[4]

Political career

He was the fifth secretary general of the KANU party from 1989 to 2003.

He retired from active politics after the 2007 elections.[5]

In the 2013 general elections, Kamotho ran for the Muranga Senatorial seat but lost to Kembi Gitura.

Personal life

In March 2013, Kamotho was admitted to Nairobi Hospital for three months. Kamotho's family later flew him to South Africa where he underwent intensive treatment. On 6 December 2014 at the age of 72 at Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, Kamotho suffered from cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead. He is survived by his wife Eunice Wambui Kamotho[6] and four children.[4] He was buried on 17 December near his home in Mioro, Murang’a.[7]

JJ, as he was fondly known, will be remembered for his fiery brand of politics during the 1990s in Kenya.[8]

References
  1. "Kenya: How 1997 Teachers' Pay Deal Was Agreed - Kamotho". all Africa. 3 September 2012.
  2. "Kenya: Meet 'JJ' Kamotho: the Great Defender of Kanu". allAfrica. 13 May 2002.
  3. "JJ Kamotho is Dead". allAfrica. 6 December 2014.
  4. "Former Kanu strong man Kamotho dies". The Daily Nation. 6 December 2014.
  5. "Former KANU stalwart JJ Kamotho is dead". The Kenya Weekly Post. 6 December 2014.
  6. "Ex-Cabinet Minister JJ Kamotho buried". Africa News Hub. 17 December 2014.
  7. "Leaders pay last respects to Joseph Kamotho". Standard Digital. 17 December 2014.
  8. "Meet 'JJ' Kamotho: the Great Defender of Kanu". Hoghbeam Business. 23 May 2002. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014.
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