Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs Wycliffe Oparanya was on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, treated to a surprise birthday party in Nairobi by his son Ian Oparanya.
Oparanya, who turned 69, was seen enjoying a piece of cake and juice served by his son, who was behind the birthday surprise at his office along Bishops Road.
Oparanya joined the Kenya Kwanza administration’s cabinet after he was picked alongside four others in the ODM party to help President William Ruto steer the country towards the path to economic recovery in 2024, following widespread protests that led to the dissolution of the cabinet.
Seasoned accountant
A seasoned accountant with over two decades of experience in consultancy both locally and internationally, Oparanya was also the ODM deputy party leader before joining the government.
The politician made his mark in politics after he successfully ran for and won the Butere Constituency elections on a NARC party ticket before joining ODM.
Following the ascendancy of the late President Mwai Kibaki to the office on the hill in 2007’s highly contested elections, Oparanya was made the Minister in charge of planning, national development and Vision 2030 in 2008 in the grand-coalition government.
During his time in office, Oparanya oversaw the 2009 census among other significant development projects in the country.
Two-term governor
In 2013, he was elected to become the first Governor of Kakamega County, a position he held for two consecutive terms until he retired from office in 2022.
He was also the chairperson of the Council of Governors during his time in Kakamega.
The following year, Oparanya was arrested alongside other leaders for participating in a demonstration organized by the Azimio la Umoja coalition.
“We demand immediate and unconditional dropping of all charges against Oparanya, Makau and all those who were arrested for participating in a constitutionally protected action of protesting against punitive policies,” ODM party leader Raila Odinga said at the time.
Oparanya holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting option) and an MBA (Finance) from the University of Nairobi. He also holds a PhD (Economics) from the University of Dar- Salaam, Tanzania.
He is an accountant and a certified member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK).
