Najib Balala

Najib Balala (born 20 September 1967) is a Kenyan politician who formerly served as the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism. He traces his ancestral origin to the Hadhrami people of Yemen. He is a former M.P. for Mvita Constituency and leader of The Republican Congress Party of Kenya (RC), a partner of the Jubilee Coalition.

Early life and education

Born to a Hadhrami family, Balala attended Serani Boys primary school, and Kakamega High School, a national school. He studied Business Administration and International Urban Management and Leadership at the University of Toronto, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Experience and career

Prior to venturing into public life, Najib Balala worked in private sector tourism, and eventually joined a family tea and coffee trading business
Secretary of The Swahili Cultural Centre (1993–1996)
Chairman of Coast Tourist Association (1996–1999)
Mayor of Mombasa (1998–1999)
Chairman, Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Mombasa Chapter) (2000–2003)
Member of Parliament for Mvita Constituency (27 Dec 2002 – 15 Dec 2007)
Minister for Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services (7 Jan 2003 – 31 June 2004)
Acting Minister for Labour (Jan – June 2003)
Minister for National Heritage (31 June – 21 Nov 2005)
Member of Parliament for Mvita Constituency (27 Dec 2007 – 15 Jan 2013)
Chairman of the UNWTO Executive Council (11 Nov 2011 – March 2012)
Minister for Tourism (17 Apr 2008 – 26 March 2012)
Cabinet Secretary for Mining (15 May 2013 – June 2015)
Cabinet Secretary for Tourism (June 2015 to 2022)

Politics

Balala began his political career as the Mayor of Mombasa, Kenya. He was then elected to a Mvita parliamentary seat in the 2002 general elections. Prior to that, Balala served as vice-chairman of Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), Chairman of All Local Government Association of Kenya, and Chairman of Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association.

Balala was the longest serving Minister for Tourism, a position he held from the beginning of 2008 until 26 March 2012, when he was dismissed during a cabinet reshuffle. He formed The Republican Congress Party of Kenya (RC) in April 2012 that became a principal partner in the Jubilee Coalition with President Uhuru Kenyatta (TNA), William Samoei Ruto (URP), and Charity Ngilu (Narc).

As Cabinet Secretary for Mining, he revoked licenses issued by the previous government. He has been accused of corruption by Cortec Mining for requesting a bribe of nearly $1 million for the reissuing of the license.

In December 2023, he, along with former principal secretary Leah Addah Gwiyo, and managing partner of West Consults John Odero, were accused of inflating the cost of the project to build a tourism college and arrested. He was the first former minister to be arrested on corruption charges since William Ruto was elected in 2022 on a platform of fighting corruption.