What do Eugene Wamalwa (pictured, left) and Bob Collymore have in common? They both are very rich – and both have declared their wealth publicly. Mr Collymore was the latest to do so yesterday, indicating that he is worth Ksh277 million, though observers take that to be on the conservative side.
Turns out the Environment minister, and younger brother to former vice-president the late Michael Kijana Wamalwa, is the richer one here, homing in at Ksh400 million, just within kissing distance of half a billion.
During his vetting following his nomination as Cabinet Secretary for Water and Irrigation, Mr Wamalwa caught the Parliament Selection Committee by surprise by declaring his wealth. He said he owns farms, houses and a thriving law firm that has even represented Yoweri Museveni, Uganda’s president, in 2001.
Asked by Aden Duale, the National Assembly’s Majority leader, why he wanted to be a minister despite being that wealthy, Mr Wamalwa said he was not in it for the money. “To me it is not a job but an opportunity to serve Kenyans,” he noted.
Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore’s Ksh276.76 million left most people’s tongues wagging, especially so his Ksh9.1 million monthly take-home salary. He said he did so to increase transparency and encourage his private sector counterparts to follow suit in an effort to fight corruption.
But his will be a hard act to follow given the secrecy with which Kenyans treat their personal financial details.
[crp]
