Anne Waiguru

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Her Excellency Anne Mumbi Waiguru EGH
Chairperson, Council of Governors (COG) Emeritus, 2022–October 2024(CoG)
Second-term Governor of Kirinyaga County[1]
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 August 2017
Deputy	David Githanda
Cabinet Secretary for Devolution
In office 15 May 2013 – 21 November 2015
President	William Ruto
Personal details
Born	Anne Mumbi (1971-04-16) 16 April 1971 (age 53)
Nationality	Kenyan
Political party	United Democratic Alliance (Kenya)
Children	3
Alma mater	Egerton University University of Nairobi

Anne Mumbi Waiguru, EGH, (born 16 April 1971) is the second Governor of Kirinyaga County in Kenya, who has been in office since 22 August 2017.

She made history in the 2017 general elections when she, alongside Charity Ngilu and the late Joyce Laboso became the first female governors to be elected in Kenya since the introduction of the devolved system of governance following the promulgation of the 2010 constitution.^[2] She was re-elected to office as Governor for her second 5-year term in the elections that were held on 9 August 2022.

Previously, she served as the first Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Devolution and Planning. She was nominated by H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta to the position on 25 April 2013.^[3] She later resigned from the role in 2015 amidst corruption allegations during the 2015 National Youth Service scandal where Ksh. 791 million was misappropriated. ^[4] In February 2016, she was cleared by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on all charges.^[5] However, in March 2016, EACC Chairman Phillip Kinisu said that there had been errors in clearing Waiguru. He stated that these errors had been as a result of a communication breakdown between government agencies.^[6]

She is behind the establishment of Huduma Centres, places where Kenyan citizens can access government services more efficiently in their respective counties.^[7][8] as well as the 30% procurement rule, which accords at least 30 per cent of all supply contracts to the government to the youth, persons with disability and women.^[9]

Anne Mumbi Waiguru was also among the seven women Governors in Kenya elected in the 9 August 2022 Kenyan general election. The other Kenyan female governors include Susan Kihika-Nakuru County, Gladys Wanga-Homa Bay County, Cecicly Mbarire-Embu County, Wavinya Ndeti-Machakos County and Fatuma Achani-Kwale County as well as Kawira Mwangaza-Meru County. This is the highest number of women in this position since the implementation of the devolved system of government in Kenya in 2013. During the 2017 general election in Kenya, only three women were elected as governors against a total of 44 male governors.

Waiguru was the first female vice chair of the Council of Governors in Kenya between December 2017 and January 2019.^[10] She was elected as the chairperson in September 2022, becoming the first female to serve as chairperson of the Council of Governors in Kenya.^[11]

In 2023, she was unanimously re-elected for a second term as the chair of Council of Governors (COG) during a full council meeting held in Nairobi. Upon her re-election, Waiguru said that her focus would now be ensuring that all devolved functions and subsequent resources are fully handed over to the county governments.