Mwangi Mukami

File:Mwangi mukami profile.jpg
Moses Mwangi Mukami (b. November 1, 1984) in Nairobi, Kenya is the President of the Mwangi Mukami Foundation, the proprietor of the Africa Institute for International Peace (IIP-AFRICA, a motivational speaker and philanthropist who has risen to national and international acclaim for his efforts in building an influential non-violent youth voice in Kenya, and across Africa as a young advocate for global justice, peace, and leadership. His Foundation and Philanthropic work in Africa has been featured in the New York Times, Atlanta-Journal, Global Atlanta and appeared in numerous periodicals, journals and media outlets around the World. In 2008, He became the first young African feted by the Georgia General Assembly with the Senate Recognition Award for philanthropic work in Kenya.
Family
Mwangi Mukami is the last of seven siblings consisting of three brothers and three sisters. His parents, David Mwariri and Veronica Mukami separated after his birth and was raised by his mother, Veronica Mukami, a hawker in Marigiti Market who successfully educated all of her children from her meager earnings.
Mwangi Mukami grew up in Kawangware location, an informal and struggling neighborhood dubbed rurii rwa Sodom-(the bush land of Sodom), a disturbingly improvised settlement in the outskirts of Nairobi where single, divorced or widowed women brew Changaa-illegal brew as a mean to earn a living. He was raised Catholic and went to Kawangware Primary School for his primary education and Ruthimitu High School and Nairobi Milimani Secondary School for his High School Education.
His Brother, Michael Kariuki passed away on October 21, 2009 due to Epilepsy related complications.
Activism & Political Involvement
At age 14, he initiated the CETA-Christ End Time Ambassadors Global Ministry as a network for pastors in the slums of Kawangware to reach out and rehabilitate drug addicts, street workers, and orphaned children. In this leadership role, he was selected a child-anchor of Ni sisi, a television program produced by URTNA-PEC-Union of National Radio Television Organization of Africa-Program Exchange Center in Nairobi, Kenya.
In 2000-2003, he served in different capacities as Spokesperson, Junior Minister for Education, Children’s Vice President and first male Children’s President of the Kenya Children’s Parliament in Kenya. His passionate advocacy for children and youth entrenchments in the democratic processes earned him admiration from the Government of Kenya.
In 2002, He was nominated to the by the Mayor of Nairobi, Joe Aketch, and elected the inaugural Junior President of the East Africa Children’s Council & Assembly.
When the clamor for the domestication of the UNCRC -United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, had reached its peak, he became the most outstanding and noteworthy member of Kenya Children’s Parliament due to his continuous advocacy for the enactment of a law to protect vulnerable Children by the National Assembly of Kenya. This culminated to the enactment of the Children’s Act No. 8 of 2001.
During the United Nations General Assembly Special Session for Children in New York, Mwangi Mukami became one of the vocal Children who decried nepotism and corruption in the selection process of Children who represented Kenya. After a series of campaign by the Children's Cabinet members demanding prosecution of officials both in Government and the Civil society for this impropriety, the Government of Kenya disbanded the Children's Cabinet terming it as misguided outfit. This action caused an uproar in Kenya and Mwangi Mukami threatened to sue the Director of Children Services for Defamation. In 2003, after NARC formed Government, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Kiraitu Murungi reinstated the Children's Cabinet.
In April, 2003, the Children's Cabinet demanded full representation at the National Constitutional Conference. These new campaign was rubbished by key officials of Government who claimed that the Children were being used to represent adults interest. The CKRC Constitution of Kenya Review Commission later gave them accreditation as special observers and Mwangi Mukami became the only child representative to participate fully in the entire National Constitutional Conference (Bomas Process) where he contributed immensely and served as deputy Secretary-General of the Observers Group and other various review committees.
Philanthropy
In 2004, he initiated the National Youth Parliament of Kenya, a vibrant nationwide youth movement that mentored young people in parliamentary democracy, governance and leadership through dialogue and participatory based engagement. During his tenure as the founding youth president, he aided the coordination of the first Kenya e-school Teacher Training for starting the first e-learning system in Kenya High Schools.
In 2005, the helped found the National CBO-Community Based Organizations Council and served as an Executive Director. He instituted the African Chapter of the World Teens Federation and in this capacity established the Martin Luther King, Jr., Africa Foundation.
When the Ministry of Youth Affairs was established in 2006, he served as the secretary of the interim consultative youth council and Adviser of the Ninth Vice-President of Kenya, Dr. Moody Awori. Mwangi Mukami’s passion for an inclusive, poverty-free, and equitable society led him to initiate many respectable youth groups and youth-rights movements in Africa. He convened the inaugural Martin Luther King, Jr., Africa Resurgence Summit in Nairobi, Kenya and begun non-violence trainings among young people in Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania and Burundi. In 2007, he was chosen to participate in the U.S. Department of State, IVL International Visitors Leadership Program and met with key U.S. officials as well as U.S. President, Barack H. Obama.
In 2008, He joined other young African leaders and Civil Rights Leaders to He was one of the millions of people who traveled to the United States for the Inauguration and appeared in New York Times.
He has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for Partners for Care- and publicly tested for HIV/AIDs to support the Reach a Million and the “What if” Campaigns and served as a Board member of the Africa Kids in Need Network. During the 2007/8 post poll crisis in Kenya, He was appointed Goodwill Peace Ambassador for the Gandhi USA Foundation and from 2009, worked with Joe Beasley, Southern Regional Director of the National Rainbow/PUSH Coalition as an adviser on African Affairs in the African Ascension.
In 2008, he was honored by the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, with the Senate Recognition Award for his peace efforts in Kenya and across Africa. His other meritorious international achievements include: the Gandhi Peace Award, the Youth Order of Merit for Advancement of Humanity, the Morris Brown Peace Medal and the East Africa Children Lieutenant of the Year Award. He has appeared as a special guest of Victor Oladokun in Turning Point International, a Program aired in over 170 countries.
Personal Life
During his motivational talks in Kenya and across Africa, he has cited his difficult childhood growing up without a father as the reason he became involved in philanthropy. In 2008, he announced his engagement to Margaret Mwangi,one of the runner-up for the Ms. Africa USA pergant. He has a son from a previous relationship.
Awards and Honors
He was honored by the General Assembly of the State of Georgia with the Senate Recognition Award for his peace efforts in Kenya and across Africa. His other meritorious international achievements include: the Gandhi Peace Award, the Youth Order of Merit for Advancement of Humanity, the Morris Brown Medal of Peace, and the East Africa Children Lieutenant of the Year Award.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu