•In 2002, Tuju made an entry into the political world and successfully ran for the Rarienda Member of parliament seat.
Image: DOUGLAS OKIDDY
Raphel Tuju on Saturday hanged his boots as Jubilee Party’s'secretary-general after five years of service.
Despite him not revealing his next steps, Tuju said the president had given him other responsibilities.
"We have agreed with the president that he will give me other responsibilities going forward. I can't be secretary-general and also pursuing other political ambitions and doing other jobs he has given me,' he said.
As of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s close confidence, Tuju’s journey in Politics has been a rollercoaster of sorts.
For starters, Tuju has survived a plane crash and a road accident that almost took his life.
The 63-year-old was born on March 30, 1959, and attended Majiwa Primary School. He later completed his primary school at Nakuru West Primary School.
He moved to Nairobi for his secondary studies where he attended Starehe Boys’ Centre and later proceeded to the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom where he pursued a degree in Mass Communications and a master’s in Arts.
In the early 1980s and 1990s, Tuju ventured into media where he worked as a TV news anchor at KTN and also a columnist for the Standard newspaper.
He was a head consultant in the design and implementation of various communication programs.
Tuju also worked with a number of big organizations such as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
From 1992 to 2001, the former Jubilee SG was founder-director of Ace Communications.
In 1996, Tuju married Ruth Akinyi whom they sired three children, a son and two daughters.
However, they later divorced in the year 2013
In 2002, Tuju made an entry into the political world and successfully ran for the Rarienda Member of parliament seat.
A year, after the National Rainbow Coalition took over he served as the Minister for Information and communication.
Image: HANDOUT
On January 24, 2003, Tuju almost met his death after he was involved in a plane crash that killed one minister and two pilots.
He was in the company of Narc politicians who had gone to Busia for a homecoming party to celebrate their three-week-old election win.
Robinson Githae, Wanjiru Kihoro, George Khaniri, Martha Karua and Linah Jebii Kilimo among others were aboard the plane
Moody Awori, a minister of Home Affairs at the time, had hosted them at his Funyula home.
Labour Minister Mohammed Khalif together with two pilots died with the others sustaining injuries.
In 2005 he was moved to the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife in a cabinet reshuffle and served until 2007.
Just before the 2005 referendum vote in Kenya, he formed the Progressive People’s Party (PPP to sway votes away from "Raila Odinga's no campaign camp".
During the 2007 General elections, running under the Party of National Unity, led by the former President Mwai Kibaki, saw him lose the Rarienda parliamentary seat owing to the ODM party's huge wave.
Not entirely out of government, Tuju served as an Advisor to Former President Mwai Kibaki on matters relating to media and the management of diversity from 2008 to 2011.
He also served as Special Envoy of the President on various missions.
For the many years of service to Kenyans in the areas of public service, health and human development, Kibaki as the then head of state awarded Tuju with the second highest civilian title in Kenya, E.G.H. (Elder of the Golden Heart).
In 2012, General Elections, Tuju elevated his political ambitions and decided to run for the presidential seat and formed a new political Party Of Action (POA) but fell out of the race within months.
Being out of government for five years, the former Mp made a comeback in 2017 when he was appointed the Secretary-General of the Jubilee Party which he served until Saturday.
A year later, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him a cabinet secretary with no portfolio.
On February 12, 2020, Tuju was involved in a grisly road accident while travelling to Kabarak to attend the late Mzee Daniel’s Moi burial where he broke 13 ribs and lost a lot of blood internally.