The life and times of Nicholas Biwott
Former powerful Cabinet minister Nicholas Kipyator Biwott has a very long history.
It is not possible to capture the life and times of this man who served in both Jomo Kenyatta's and Daniel Moi's regimes.
Here are the key highlights of his 77-year-life journey:
1940: Biwott is born in Chebior village, Keiyo District, in Rift Valley Province, to Maria Soti and his father Cheserem.
EDUCATION
1951–1954: Attended Tambach Intermediate School.
1955–1958: Proceeded to Kapsabet High School in Nandi district.
1959: Started working at the Department of Information in Eldoret.
February–December 1961: study at George Taylor University, Melbourne, Australia.
February 1962 – Dec 1964: University of Melbourne, Australia: Bachelor of Commerce; Diploma in Public Administration.
JOB
December 1964 – 1965: Office of the President, Government of Kenya: employed by Office of the President seconded to Administration and appointed District Officer Nkubu, South Imenti Division, Meru District.
1966: Course in Public Administration at Kenya Institute of Administration, Nairobi.
March 1966–68: Commonwealth scholarship to study for master's degree in economics at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
1972: Personal assistant to Daniel Moi.
POLITICS
1974: Unsuccessfully ran for MP, Keiyo South Constituency.
1979 successfully clinched Keiyo South parliamentary seat on a Kanu ticket.
Retained the seat in 1983 and 1988, 1992 and 1997.
1982 – 1983: Minister of Regional Development, Science and Technology
1983 – 1988: Minister of Energy and Regional Development
1990: Implicated in the murder of Foreign Affairs Minister Robert Ouko, forcing him to quit his Cabinet post
1988 – 1991: Minister of Energy; minister of East African and Regional Co-operation
1998 – 1999: Minister of Trade and Industry
1999 – 2001: Tourism and East African Cooperation
2001 – 2002: Minister of Trade and Industry and East African Tourism
2003: Fought with Uhuru Kenyatta over Kanu leadership before founding his own National Vision Party.
2007: Unsuccessfully vied for Keiyo South parliamentary seat, losing the seat to Jackson Kiptanui of ODM.
2013: Vied for Elgeyo Marakwet Senate seat but lost to Kipchumba Murkomen of URP