Kalonzo Musyoka

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Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka (born November 1953) in a remote part of Mwingi District in Kenya's Eastern Province and is a Kenyan politician and was the foreign minister of Kenya from 1993 until 1998 and from 2003 until June 30, 2004, when he was replaced in a cabinet reshuffle. He has been an MP since 1988 from the Mwingi North constituency. He was KANU's organising secretary from 1993 to 1998. In the months leading up to the 2002 general election, under the leadership of then KANU secretary general, Raila Odinga, he decamped from KANU to join the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) under the banner of the National Rainbow Coalition, which went on to win the general elections. He was reportedly unhappy with the president's refusal to honour a pre-election Memorandum of understanding (MOU) which they had signed with the president's party NAK and hence his demotion. He was Minister for the Environment as well as one of the leaders of the successful "No"-campaign in the referendum on the proposed new constitution. Kalonzo Musyoka is widely expected to vie for presidency at elections scheduled for December 2007. He shall face Raila Odinga at the LDP pre-elections.

Kalonzo Musyoka graduated as a Baclelor of Law from the University of Nairobi in 1977.

Musyoka has been quoted on saying "... the war against poverty could not be won unless environmental issues were addressed."

Musyoka has been keeping a low political profile, using a diplomatic approach to the Kenyan politics. He is still believed by many to be the strongest candidate for the next presidential elections ahead of the current president Mwai Kibaki.However the bad blood that has been developing between Kalonzo, and his political nemesis, Raila, has led to doubts in his ability to build bridges. He is also perceived to be somewhat arrogant and elitist.

Politics in the opposition ODM not withstanding, Musyoka is apparently the preffered next president for most of Kenyans. This can be attributed to his moderation in politics, where he has remained clean even during the excesses of the Moi regime, and dealing with restraint to unpopular policies by the Kibaki government.