John Maina Njenga is a former Mungiki leader and politician who had a significant influence in his time. His life has been marked by both controversy and transformation.
Maina Njenga's Biography: Education, Mungiki, politics, family & networth
The self-confessed former Mungiki leader boasts of extensive wealth and close ties to high-ranking politicians in the country
Former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga
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He is constantly on the move, maintaining a vigilant awareness of his surroundings as he has been a victim of several assassination attempts.
Background and education
Born on January 2, 1969, in Laikipia County, Maina Njenga was the fourth child of eight children and the second son of Stephen Kamunya Njoroge and Margaret Wangui Kamunyo.
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Maina spent his childhood in Karandi, Laikipia West, and attended Ol Ng'arua Primary School until 1984. He then proceeded to Ortum Secondary School in West Pokot.
Maina Njenga's Mungiki affiliations
Maina Njenga's influence an early age, mobilizing youth to meet former President Daniel Arap Moi and actively participating in local politics in the early 1990s.
Former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga
Former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga
Pulse Live Kenya
During this period, Njenga mobilized youths to worship facing Mount Kenya, quickly gaining a significant number of followers due to the group's rebellious nature. This is how Njenga established the Mungiki sect. Mungiki means 'a united people' or 'multitude' in the Kikuyu language.
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However, Njenga fell out with the late president after some members of the sect began engaging in criminal activities.
He initially identified himself as the leader of the sect but renounced it in 2002 when the government proscribed the group and launched a crackdown on its members.
Maina Njenga's arrest and imprisonment
Njenga was first jailed in 2007 for drug and firearms possession. He was released but was later re-arrested and charged with dozens of murders carried out in Nyeri.
In 2007, Njenga was jailed for three years for illegal possession of firearms. He was also sentenced to a five-year jail term for murder charges, although he did not serve the full eight years.
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Former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga
Former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga
Pulse Live Kenya
Maina Njenga's release from prison
In October 2009, Maina was released by the Nyeri High Court after Attorney General Amos Wako entered a nolle prosequi (termination of legal proceedings by the Attorney General) when Maina threatened to release a dossier implicating senior government officials in various scandals.
Shortly after his release, Maina went to Bishop Margaret Wanjiru's Jesus is Alive Ministries church, where he confessed salvation.
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Njenga has since developed political affiliations with several high-ranking politicians, which has also seen him emerge as an influential figure in the local political landscape, particularly in the central region.
He also has a close relationship with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Maina Njenga's political aspirations
After his release from prison, Maina has been intermittently involved in politics until 2017 when he fully emerged as a candidate for the Laikipia Senatorial seat twice.
In 2017, he contested the seat under the Jubilee Party ticket, although he did not win, citing integrity issues.
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He then moved to the Kenya African National Union (KANU), where he received a ticket to vie for the seat but lost.
In the 2022 General Elections, Njenga made another attempt at the seat but lost to John Kinyua.
Maina Njenga and Raila Odinga
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Maina Njenga's family
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Maina Njenga married Virginia Nyakio, who was murdered in 2009 when Njenga was still in prison.
Njenga later married Grace Wairimu Nyambere, who was also murdered in 2014 by gunmen during an attack while they were traveling.
Njenga has since kept his family under wraps, with little known about his children and current wife.
Maina Njenga's networth
Njenga is estimated to be worth Sh2 billion with properties spread in Nairobi and parts of Central Kenya. Njenga has more than seven luxurious homes spread across Laikipia, Nyandarua and Nairobi.
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In Nairobi, he owns homes in Lavington and Karen estates which are worth millions. He also has properties in Nakuru and Ongata Rongai worth millions. Besides real estate, Njenga is also heavily into farming and is also in the transport sector.
In Karen, he is the neighbour to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga while in Ongata Rongai, he is a neighbour to former Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service during the Kibaki administration, Francis Muthaura.
Njenga also owns a fleet of high-end vehicles worth millions. in a previous interview on Citizen TV, Njenga revealed that most of his wealth came from wealthy politicians who funded his activities.
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