Wycliffe Oparanya


H.E. Hon. Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya, EGH is a Kenyan politician, serving as the incumbent governor of Kakamega County and Council of Governors chairperson. He was elected 4 March 2013 and became the first governor of Kakamega County following promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, and subsequently in August 2017, for his second term as the governor. He is, therefore, the pioneer Governor of Kakamega County under the devolved system of governance in Kenya that established 47 counties. He was previously Minister of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030 in the government of President Mwai Kibaki. He was appointed on 14 January 2019 as the Council of Governors of Kenya chairperson.

Early life

Wycliffe Oparanya was born at Emabole in Butere Constituency Western Kenya on 25 March 1956. He attended Mabole Primary School Butere Boys High School and Kisii High School. He then proceeded and acquired Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA from the University of Nairobi and is currently in the process of completing his PhD at the University of Dar- es- Salaam, Tanzania.

Professional/political career

He is a certified public accountant and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya. He was awarded the prestigious recognition for his contribution to the accounting profession in 2014 and became a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya. He was also a member of numerous other professional bodies. Hon. Oparanya has 23 years experience in local and international Finance Management, Audit and Business Consultancy. He belongs to the Orange Democratic Movement and represented Butere Constituency in the National Assembly of Kenya since the 2007 Kenyan parliamentary election.
Oparanya was among ministers appointed by secondment of Prime Minister Raila Odinga from The Orange Democratic Movement party after the prime minister signed the National Accord Act to form a coalition government with President Kibaki after the disputed 2007 elections.
Before joining politics in 2002, Oparanya worked at the Kenya Aerotec Ltd as chief financial controller. He plunged into politics and successfully captured the Butere seat from Amukowa Anangwe.