Simeon Nyachae biography

Simeon Nyachae Biography, Ancestry, 6 Wives, 35 Children, and Politics

Simeon Nyachae was a long-standing Kisii politician with years of experience in Kenyan leadership. The former government minister was equally skilled in business. His life story tells us more about his accomplishments and inherited family empire.

Nyachae’s legacy in civil service and Gusii politics often attracts mixed reactions. While fanatics feel he salvaged Kisii politics, critics allege he enriched himself at the expense of the Kisii Community.

Simeon Nyachae profile facts

Real nameSimeon Nyachae
BirthdayFebruary 6, 1932
DiedFebruary 1, 2021
Lived for88 years
BirthplaceNyosia Village
HomeNyaribari Chache
CountyKisii County
EthnicityKisii
NationalityKenyan
FatherChief Musa Nyandusi
MotherPaulina Bosibori
PartyFord People
Wives6 spouses
Children35 children
Net worthKsh. 100 billion

Simeon Nyachae biography

The grip of power has seen the Nyachae family prospering throughout the years.

Nyachae was indeed a total Kisii man who singlehandedly seized power against the will of President Daniel Arap Moi.

Educational background

Early exposure to western education gave Simeon Nyachae an unequalled advantage against other tribesmen.

  • 1941 โ€“Enrolled at Nyanchwa Seventh Day Adventist School
  • 1947 โ€“Started schooling at Kereri Intermediate School
  • 1949 โ€“Enrolled at the Kisii Government African School
  • 1957 โ€“Public administration studies at Torquay Academy
  • 1960s โ€“Public administration diploma at Churchill College, Cambridge

His father Nyandusi strongly believed in education as the only tool of success in days to come.

Nyachaeโ€™s professional career

Nyachae started working in his early 20s and rose steadily into higher ranks in government.

  • 1954 โ€“District Clerk in the chief camp office
  • 1960 โ€“Became a Division District Officer in Kangundo
  • 1963 โ€“District Commissioner
  • 1964 โ€“Rose to the rank of a provincial administrator
  • 1965 โ€“Became a Provincial Commissioner 
  • 1979 โ€“Started working as chief secretary in the Civil Service 
  • 1987 โ€“Retired as the last chief secretary office holder

Determination drove Simeon Nyachae into working restlessly throughout his life

Simeon Nyachae political profile

The wealthy Kisii leader worked closely with the government throughout his professional career.

Turning heads to politics would forever change the fate of the Simeon Nyachae family.

  • 1992 โ€“Became an official KANU member and lasted until 2000
  • 1992 โ€“ Became Nyaribari Chache Member of Parliament for one term ending 1997
  • 1998 โ€“Agriculture Cabinet Minister and later Minister of Finance
  • 1999 โ€“ Disagreed with Moi and resigned from the cabinet position
  • 2002 โ€“Ford People Party presidential aspirant
  • 2004 โ€“Minister for Energy in Kibaki’s Government
  • 2006 โ€“Became the Roads and Public Works minister
  • 2007 โ€“Aspirant MP Nyaribari Chache Constituency

While Simeon Nyachae failed in the 2002 general elections, he entered parliament with a strong team of 14 Ford People MPs.

Surprisingly, the Waki Report named Simeon Nyachae as one of the masterminds of the 2007/2008 Post-Election Violence.

Simeon Nyachae’s family tree

The renowned Nyachae comes from a polygamous home. He was the favourite son of his late father and powerful colonial chief, Musa Nyandusi.

Nyachae’s outgoing and talkative nature explains why Chief Nyandusi preferred him to his less outgoing elder brother Chief James Oiruria who died in 2007.

Nyachaeโ€™s father Musa Nyandusi

The late Nyandusi was an influential leader and a powerful spokesperson of the Kisii people in the early years.

He enjoyed a brotherly relationship with President Jomo Kenyatta as well as the colonial masters.

The British government awarded Chief Musa Nyandusi, Service to the Crown medal.

Hiding Mzee Jomo Kenyatta from the colonial masters in his Kisii home united the two noble families.

Chief Musa Nyandusi profile also reveals that he was a polygamous man with 15 wives. He even owned a school for his more than 100 children.

Elsewhere, Nyachaeโ€™s great-grandfather Onyancha Oando succumbed to Cancer in 1970. One of his wives died in 2009 at the age of 94 years.

List of Simeon Nyachae wives

The late Nyachae was a polygamous man with several wives and children

Some of his known wives are as follows.

1. Grace Wamuyu Nyachae

Grace Wamuyu Nyachae is the most popular of Nyachae’s six wives. She is a former State House secretary from Kenyatta’s reign.

Nyachae met the 19-year-old beauty when she was serving as a Provincial Commissioner in Nyeri.

About this time, Wamuyu had received a transfer from State House to Nyeri.

2. Paulina Bosibori Nyachae

James Oiruria and Nyachae are sons of Chief Nyandusi and his fifth wife, Paulina Bosibori.

She allegedly had a good grounding in the Seventh Day Adventist Day faith.

3. Esther Kerubo Nyachae

Esther is among the least known spouses to Simeon Nyachae.

Unfortunately, Esther Kerubo died on August 30, 2016.

Simeon Nyachae children

The polygamous family of six known wives has raised several siblings.

Simeon Nyachae’s children include the family spokesman Charles Nyachae who doubles as a jurist.

  1. Charles Nyachae โ€“eldest son
  2. Michael Nyachae โ€“lawyer
  3. Leon Nyandusi โ€“England, Architect
  4. Moses Nyandusi โ€“England, Accountant
  5. Lee Nyachae โ€“Lee Construction, Engineer
  6. Joseph Nyandusi โ€“West Virginia University, Lecturer

Other siblings include Esther, Eric, Kenneth Angela, Pauline, Judy, and Wanjiku Nyachae.

Some of Simeon Nyachae sons and daughters live in Kenya, while the rest live and work abroad.

Simeon Nyachae death

The ex-presidential aspirant Simeon Nyachae died on February 1, 2021, barely ten days after his death rumors.

He died from an illness he has been battling for years. Nyachae’s ill health condition went public in 2018 following an accidental trip.

Family members took him to Nairobi Hospital and later airlifted him to London.

Upon his demise, friends and family members flocked at Maxwell SDA Church to eulogize.

The first wife Grace Wamuyu is among those who attended Nyachaeโ€™s Mass ahead of his funeral on Monday, February 15, 2021.

Musa Nyandusi wealth and influence

Nyaandusi shocked locals in 1943 when he acquired the expensive Fordson and Chevrolet Sedan into his motor cars fleet.

Besides, he owned “Chitinga Chia Musa” flour mill businesses, which graced his reputation further.

Nyachae would become an influential Kenyan tycoon through farming, real estate, banking, and politics.

Simeon Nyachae biography highlights the influence of Chief Onyancha Oando and his son Senior Chief Musa Nyandusi passed down to the family of Simeon Nyachae.