Foreign Affairs CAS Ababu Namwamba describes himself as a regular dude.
Ababu was born in Jinja, Uganda, a heritage he is very proud of.
"The true East African and Pan-Africanist heritage. That you can be born in one corner of the region and feel completely comfortable in another corner as a home,"he says in an interview at his Old Treasury Building, MFA headquarters.
“My grandfather, Ababu Tera Luecheche, lived in Uganda where he met and married my grandmother who was Ugandan. My father, Peter, grew up, trained and worked there. He worked with an Italian company headquartered in Kampala.”
He is from a family of eight siblings — six boys and two girls. Seven of them were born in Kampala.
He spent his early life in Jinja, about five years, before his father moved to Kampala at a time there was a lot of upheaval that forced many people to leave.
“We went to Eldoret, where he got a job and then he decided to anchor his family in his ancestral home of Budalang’i. He passed away in 2011,” he says.
EDUCATION AND CAREER
Ababu sat his KCPE at Port Victoria Primary School, then got admitted to Kolanya Boys High School in Teso North and proceeded to the University of Nairobi for his Bachelors Degree in Law.
He later did his Masters Degree in International Law in Washington DC on a scholarship. He had already set up his law firm before flying out.
Ababu has also had a stint in the activism world,
He is now in the diplomatic world as CAS, a job he describes at the best in his public service.
He has been a key player in the Sudan Peace Process, policy and legal formulation leading to the Foreign Policy Bill, UNSC campaign and representing the President in various international meetings.
In his legal career, his bias was human rights, and that is demonstrated by the cases he handled.
On of the landmark cases was the Nyumbani Children’s home matter.
Some 72 children with HIV-Aids had bee refused admission to public schools in Nairobi.
So, when one morning he learnt this, he found it “completely horrific” and took the case pro bono.
Current Chief Justice, Martha Koome, presided over that case.
“Our point was very simple, you cannot discriminate against any Kenyan child on the basis of their health status. We got a landmark ruling that reaffirmed the right of every Kenyan child to access education not withstanding their health, social status or their tribe,” he said.
Another case he handled was one of a young Pakistani, Farid, who he says was victim of the overzealous effort to appear to be fighting terrorism.
He was able to prove that Farid was being victimized on account of his religion, race — that he was Arab — and he had nothing to do with terrorism.
These cases, he says, reflect his passion for constitutionalism and civil liberties.
Despite joining politics in 2007, when he became Budalang’I MP, Ababu still considers himself active in law.
His law firm has partnered with a Chinese to form Ababu Namwamba & Co Advocates Jingsh Africa, which helps with Chinese businesses on the continent.
He is also a member of the Law Society of Kenya, International Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
He served as Budalang’I MP for two terms, a period he was able to deal with the consistent flooding menace in the constituency.
Among the committees he chaired include the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional Review, Justice and Legal Affairs Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. He also set a record for the highest number of Private Member’s Motions and Bills in the 10th and 11th Parliament.
PAC FIASCO
During his reign as the PAC chairman, the team became the first watchdog committee to be disbanded on allegations of corruption in the history of the Kenyan Parliament.
The House Powers and Privileges committee chaired by Kuresoi North MP Moses Cheboi in its report recommended the disbandment of the 27-member watchdog committee chaired by Ababu.
The committee members were found culpable of breaching the privileges of the House after claims of receiving bribes to influence investigations against certain individuals.
Ababu, however, maintains he was innocent and it was all politics and a manufactured saga.
He, however, admits — as he did then — that he had information, which I presented to Parliament, that committee member had been approached by some one and offered him a favour to influence a committee decision.
A recording was then played in Parliament and it captured an MP claiming they received bribes from then Defence PS Mutea Iringo to influence the committee’s findings on Sh2.8 billion in confidential expenditure.
In the Grand Coalition Government of 2008-13 — following the 2007-08 post-election violence — Ababu joined the Cabinet as the Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs.
He was also a columnist in the Daily Nation and The Standard.
He was also the Labour Party of Kenya leader until President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him Foreign Affairs CAS on January 26, 2018.
Ababu has now allied himself with Deputy President William Ruto, a man he says encouraged him to join politics in 2003.
He, however, says he will not gun for a political seat but will be in Ruto’s campaign to ensure he becomes president.
His slogan is "I mean what I say and say Exactly what I mean".
FASHION AMD LIFE STYLE
He is also referred as Ababu Smart and this is demonstrated by his dressing. He is always conscious of what he wears.
For instance, on the day of the interview, he said: “The suit I am wearing is by Daniel Rizotto, who is my preferred suit-maker. My pair of shoes is Calvin Klein. The watch I am wearing is a Titan, and it is a very good watch brand. My glasses are Ray-Ban."
He loves being with his family and travels a lot to different parts of the world.
"I also travel a lot not for work but for fun. I love visiting and seeing different part of the world , discovering little gems like Santorini in Greece or islands and amazing places in India".
"I spend a lot of time with my children. I love my children and I think parenting is an awesome experience. The best moments for me have been with my children".
He also hosts the Isambo Beach Carnival at Che's Bay to celebrate the cultures and traditions of the local communities
