Irungu Nyakera

Wilson Irungu Nyakera also known as Irungu Nyakera (born 13 May 1982) is a Stanford-educated technocrat who has served in various leadership roles in banks both locally and abroad. He was appointed as Principal Secretary, State Department of Transport, Ministry of Transport, infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development by the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta in December 2015.
== Early life ==
Nyakera was born in Murang'a County to a single mother, Nancy Njoki Wairugu who later settled in Kinyago slums in Eastleigh of Nairobi area where she worked as a casual labourer.
== Education ==
Nyakera was raised in a strict family and thanks to his mother's “street connections”, he was enrolled to Class One in January 1989 at the prestigious Starehe Boys’ Centre and School in Nairobi on full scholarship from Save the Children Fund Austria and Save the Children Fund British Columbia, Canada. 
In 1991, his mother passed away leaving behind Nyakera, then 8 years, and his two younger sisters, Joyce at 4 years and Eunice at 1 month old who were raised by their maternal grandparents. Nyakera's grandfather passed on in 1996 after a bout of celebral malaria leaving him in the care of his grandmother, Joyce Wambui Wairugu.
Courtesy of the scholarship, Nyakera's education was uninterrupted by the demise of his mother and he sat for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination in 1996, before joining Form One at the prestigious Starehe Boys’ Centre and School where he later served as School Captain. He sat for his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in 2000. 
In 2002, he worked as an untrained teacher at Nyahururu Elite Schools as he awaited to join university, he had secured a slot to join Nairobi University where he was to pursue medicine, but Dr. Geoffrey William Griffin, Founder and then Director of Starehe Boys’ Centre and School, extended Nyakera a full scholarship to attend Deerfield Academy as a gap year student. Nyakera joined Deerfield in 2002-2003 before joining Stanford University for his University Education under full scholarship from an anonymous sponsor.
Nyakera attended Stanford University in California USA from 2003-2007 graduating with Bachelor of Engineering, Management Science and Engineering (Finance and Decision Engineering option). While at Stanford, Nyakera was involved in numerous Leadership positions and many extracurricular activities including being Founder of Stanford Africa Business Forum (currently in its 13th year and one of the top three largest American university annual African forums), Stanford Journal of Africa Studies (Sauti), among other achievements. 
== Career ==
Nyakera started off his career at Citigroup Investment Bank at Wall Street before moving to Canary Wharf in London, United Kingdom.
He relocated to Kenya after the economic downturn of the 2008 global economic turmoil and joined NIC Bank Group in their group subsidiary, NIC Capital, initially as a Senior Associate before working his way to Managing Director in 2009 at the age of 28. Nyakera later moved back to London, UK working with Frontier Markets Fund Managers as Regional Director of 18 countries within Sub Sahara Africa.
In 2014, Nyakera joined Equity Group Holdings as Managing Director of Equity Investment Bank. He led Equity Group Holdings as they acquired Procredit Bank in Democratic Republic of Congo. 
=== Public service ===
In 2015, Nyakera was appointed Principal Secretary (PS) of Transport in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure by His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya. At 33, Nyakera became the youngest Principal Secretary the country had appointed since the post independence appointments for the same position. 
In 2017, Nyakera was re-assigned to the Ministry of Devolution and Planning as the Principal Secretary for Planning and Statistics. On June 2020 Nyakera was appointed to serve in the tea steering committee by the Cabinet Secretary of Agriculture, Kenya.
=== Corporate social responsibility ===
A beneficiary of benevolence spanning through his all schooling life, Nyakera registered a foundation, Irungu Nyakera Foundation (INF), with key focus on education, youth sports and talent development, agriculture, health and poverty eradication. These programs run across Murang'a, Nairobi, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Machakos and Mombasa Counties. 
==In the media==
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== References ==
==External links==
* Irungu Nyakera - Kenya Ports Authority
* At 33, youngest PS says he has earned his stripes | Nation
* Uhuru fired me for over-performing - Ex-devolution PS Irungu
Category:1982 births
Category:Stanford University alumni
Category:Nairobi University alumni
Category:Education in Kenya
Category:People from Muranga
Category:Kenyan people