Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has disclosed his net worth at Ksh500 million during his appearance before the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations on Friday, January 10, 2025.
Namwamba, who was nominated by President William Ruto to serve as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), explained that his wealth is derived from his two residences in Nairobi and Busia, business interests, shareholdings, and pension.
“The requirement to state my net worth has been indicated there and has been calculated from my two residences in Nairobi and Busia County, my business interest, my shareholdings, and my pension,” Namwamba stated.
“That has been compounded to come to a total net worth of Ksh500 million, and should there be a need for any additional information, that information is available and I would furnish the committee with the same,” he added.
While defending his suitability for the UNEP position, Namwamba also promised to provide a detailed breakdown of his wealth, including his emoluments as a Sports Cabinet Secretary and the pension he receives.
“For avoidance of doubt, I perhaps expected the committee to take judicial notice that the emoluments for a Cabinet Secretary is public knowledge, so is the emolument for parliamentary pension, but I will provide the details as directed by the chair,” he assured the committee.
This marks a significant increase from October 2022, when Namwamba declared his net worth at Ksh425 million during vetting for his former position as Sports Cabinet Secretary. At that time, his wealth included his residences in Nairobi and Busia, a business named Chess Bay, two land holdings, shareholdings in companies such as Safaricom, Cooperative Bank, and Kenya Power, two vehicles, and two water vessels. The Ksh75 million increase in his wealth over two years reflects growth in his investments and assets.
Namwamba, while addressing the committee, dismissed notions that his nomination to the UNEP post was a demotion, instead framing it as a critical reassignment. He cited his academic and professional qualifications as key strengths that make him the ideal candidate for the role.
“It is a critical diplomatic station, absolutely critical. Today, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is seized of the most critical agenda to address what is an existential threat to humanity. Would I consider being handed an assignment to represent Kenya in that space a demotion? No, I would consider it a reassignment,” he stated.
He further emphasized his readiness to take on the role, referencing Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech A Street Sweeper to highlight the importance of excellence in every assignment. “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry,” Namwamba quoted, underscoring his pride in the UNEP nomination.
Namwamba asserted that his experience, education, and global exposure uniquely position him to represent Kenya effectively at UNEP. If approved, he pledged to execute the role with dedication, aligning Kenya’s agenda with UNEP’s mission to address pressing global environmental challenges.
