MERU, Kenya – “Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that, and all will be well.”
These words from Buddhist monk Jack Kornfield’s Buddha’s Little Instruction Book fit well with the current situation of former Meru governor Dr. Kiraitu Murungi.
Dr. Kiraitu has officially announced his retirement from active politics, saying that he now wants to concentrate on spreading happiness in the workplace.
“This year, we have embarked on a new programme, introducing happiness in the workplace. The Workplace Happiness Programme because people are spending most of their time at work. Your home is just a dormitory where you go to sleep at night. Your 8 hours during the day are spent in a toxic environment where you are unhappy,” explained Dr. Kiraitu.
Speaking on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, after receiving an honorary doctorate from Laikipia University recognising his distinguished public service and leadership, Dr. Kiraitu said he had learnt his lessons and, having spent over 3 decades in active politics, it was time to call it quits.
“This is not about politics, and I have said that I have retired from elective politics, and this has broadened my mind. But I am now in low-temperature politics. I find it intriguing and interesting. So, if you don’t see me singing on top of vehicles, I am still thinking about democracy,” added Dr. Kiraitu.
Dr. Kiraitu was first elected in 1992 and had served as a member of Parliament and cabinet minister in the retired president Mwai Kibaki’s (deceased) regime. He held various cabinet roles, including Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and later Minister of Energy.
Why did Dr. Kiraitu Murungi almost go into depression?
Later, he ran for the Meru senatorial seat in 2013. winning the seat. He ran for governor in 2017 and also won until he was defeated in 2022 by former Governor Kawira Mwangaza.
According to Dr. Kiraitu, who was speaking to a group of close friends and family as he received the award from the university, he almost went into depression after losing the 2022 election, not having known anything else for over 30 years, a place he says he would not want to go back.
“It is true; I was very unhappy when I lost in the elections. I thought I would win because all politicians believe they will win, and they end up surprised after they lose. If you don’t have a plan B, the results can easily shock you. There is something called post-election depression, which has not been highlighted even in academia, but we go through it,” he explained.
In fact, he says his happiness crusade journey, which was borne from serious counselling and classes that took 9 months, gave him a different perspective on life, and he now wants to spread the happiness and also coach fellow politicians on a life beyond politics.
“For me, when I was in that space (active politics), it was then that I started thinking about happiness because I was very unhappy myself, and I came across the Happiness Studies Academy during that period, and I took a 9-month course to study and understand happiness. And I came to discover that I had no reason not to be happy because I had won so many elections; I had only lost one. So, I asked myself, how come I was not celebrating the ones that I had won and spending my days mourning only this one, which I had lost?”
Dr. Kiraitu went on, “So, we don’t count our blessings, and we are many. So, the whole idea of positive psychology, which is the basis of the happiness studies, is very much in our lives. We are all looking for money, prestige, and power, but why are you looking at the losses? It is in the hope that at the end of it, you are going to be successful.”
Priscillah Murungi reacts to her husband’s exit from active politics
His wife, Priscillah Murungi, appreciated the announcement, indicating it was time he now settled to focus on other issues.
“Even if he lost the 2022 elections, the people who are the losers are not him. It is the people of Meru. So, they come to tell him how much they miss him, reminding him of his development track record. Equally, he always reminds them that they made their own choice,” said Pricillah.
She further stated, “So, I am here, hoping that perhaps he has done his part for the public service and is concerned. But I want to appreciate him because of the hard work that he has done for Kenya and for the people of South Imenti and Meru.”
Additionally, Dr. Kiraitu disclosed that he was currently writing a book on the illusions of democracy.
What does Dr. Kiraitu Murungi think about democracy?
He stated that the book lifts the lid on the difference between the democracy that academics think they are introducing in society and the democracy as understood and practised by the people, or rather, the peasant politics.
“Looking at the trends in democracy around the world, democracy is on retreat. The excitement that people used to have about democracy when it came to implementation is no longer there. I have been in politics right now for over 30 years, but the democracy we talk about in Nairobi is very different from the democracy in the village,” said Dr. Kiraitu.
For Dr. Kiraitu, happiness is a universal inspiration for all humankind, adding that lawyers say that happiness is a fundamental human right for every person.
“In every life, what you celebrate is what you see out there. So this doctorate, I will carry it with pride and intentionality. Everybody will now know that Kiraitu Murungi has a doctorate and for what reason, but mainly because it also advises our course. So, it is a call to action,” explained Dr. Kiraitu.
Dr. Kiraitu, who entered politics in the early 1990s, joining the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD) and later the Democratic Party (DP), says he would now practise what he calls ‘low-volume politics’, which is basically advisory.
This, even as reports link him to a return to politics in the run-up to the 2027 elections, with some of his close allies indicating he would run for the Senate one more time, but some say he is paving the way for the young turks who have been relentless in their push for capturing elective positions.
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