Margaret Wanjiru

Born in 1961, Wanjiru rose first as an evangelist. She is the founder and presiding Bishop of Jesus is Alive Ministries (JIAM), a large Pentecostal church headquartered in Nairobi city centre with branches across Kenya. That pulpit gave her a massive following, especially among women and youth in Nairobi's estates, which she later converted into a political base.She entered elective politics during the 2007 wave and won the Starehe parliamentary seat, one of the most cosmopolitan constituencies in Nairobi. She served from 2008 to 2013 and was appointed Assistant Minister for Housing in Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga's Grand Coalition Government. Known for a direct, no-nonsense style, she built a reputation as a firm administrator.After losing Starehe in 2013 to Maina Kamanda, she remained active. In 2017 she vied for Nairobi Governor on a Jubilee ticket but lost in the primaries to Mike Sonko. In 2022 she was again a serious contender for Governor under UDA, but at the last minute she stepped down in favour of Johnson Sakaja following negotiations within Kenya Kwanza. She instead ran for Nairobi Senate on a UDA ticket, polling a strong 554,091 votes against ODM's Edwin Sifuna who won with 716,876 votes.Outside elective politics, President William Ruto appointed her Chairperson of the Nairobi Rivers Commission in 2023, tasked with reclaiming and regenerating Nairobi's rivers. She resigned from that position in August 2026, thanking the President for the opportunity but saying she needed to consult widely on her future.