Moses Kuria is the current Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Investments, Trade and Industry, having taken over the post on October 27, 2022. He took over from former CS Betty Maina.
A seasoned politician who has served as a member of parliament for Gatundu South, Kuria unsuccessfully vied for governor of Kiambu county during the 2022 General Elections. He lost the race to Kimani Wamatangi and conceded defeat stating that he would proceed to pursue a different course in the private sector.
Moses Kuria graduated from the University of Nairobi in 1993 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
After graduation, he worked for Total Kenya and Standard Chartered Bank between 1994 and 1999.
He later left Kenya to work for largest Islamic Bank in the world, Al-Rajhi Bank, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He worked with the lender for four years before leaving to start a financial consultancy firm in the Gulf.
In 2007, he came back to Kenya as a consultant in the late Mwai Kibaki’s government, a role he served for one year.
After a year, he moved to be former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s advisor in the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Finance up to 2013 when Kenyatta was elected the President.
In 2014, Gatundu South MP Joseph Ngugi died and Moses Kuria clinched the seat in the subsequent by-election. He held the seat upto 2022 when he vied for Kiambu gubernatorial seat but lost.
As of October 2022, Kuria said that his net worth is Ksh750 million.
“My financial net worth is Ksh750 million. My net worth comprises of real estate developments, shares held in unlisted companies in my business concerns, manufacturing, fintech, and in the energy sector,” said Kuria.
Away from politics, Moses Kuria is a businessman who has interests spanning from media to human resources.
Here are the businesses owned by Moses Kuria:-
- Fanaka TV
Moses Kuria launched Fanaka TV in April 2017 as an entertainment station to provide jobs and other opportunities for young people mainly from his constituency.
The founding CEO was former beauty queen and Miss Kenya 2015 Charity Mwangi, a resident of Gatundu South. Mr Kuria organized for Charity to even meet former President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House just a month after Fanaka went on air, as part of plans to get the president’s buy-in into the idea.
2. Emerging Human Capital
Although the politician says that the company is no longer in operation, it has significantly contributed to his wealth for over 20 years, having been registered in 2001.
The company deals with the transportation of workers to the Middle East as well as other destinations.
Despite facing backlash from a section of Kenyans, Kuria maintained that the company has never been involved in the mistreatment of Kenyans in the Middle East.
3. Real Estate
Kuria owns the First Malawi building among other undisclosed real estate investments in the country and abroad.
4. Other assets
In August 2018, Kuria claimed he was the owner of a chopper Deputy President William Ruto uses regularly to traverse the country.
“I want to make some clarification after my remarks. I heard the principal say the DP’s chopper landed in the school field. It should be clear that the helicopter is not Ruto’s but mine. We have to speak the truth as Christians sometimes,” Kuria said.
Kuria also has shares held in unlisted companies in manufacturing, fintech, and the energy sector.
