Susan Wakarura Kihika was born in Nakuru, County, Kenya in 1974 to Kihika Kimani, a moi-era politician and Alice Kihika. She is one of the 41 children of her father and the sixth of her mother, Kimani’s second wife.
Susan is a Kenyan lawyer, politician and the first female governor of Nakuru County. She assumed office on August 25, 2022. Prior to this, she was elected to the Kenya Senate in 2017 and served between 31 August, 2017 – 25 August, 2022 . She once served as the speaker of Nakuru County Assembly between 22 March 2013 – 2017. As Speaker, she held the position of the Vice Chair of the County Assemblies Forum (CAF).
Susan Kihika is also the president of the IPU Bureau of Women Parliamentarians.
Susan attended Busara Forest View Academy in Nyahururu and Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls’ High School in Nyeri before migrating to the United States sometimes 1992 to further her education.
She has Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Texas. In 2006, she graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from the Law School of Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. She also enrolled at the Texas Bar having passed the requisite examinations.
After her graduation from law school, she worked in the public service and later left to established The Kihika Law Firm in Dallas, Texas.
In 2012, after 20 years in the United States, Susan returned to her native-land, Kenya.
“Woman of Firsts” as she’s fondly called is the first Assembly Speaker of Nakuru County having beaten seven opponents to claim the crown in 2013.
In 2017, she contested the Nakuru County senatorial seat and won on a Jubilee Party ticket, becoming the first female Senator of Nakuru County.
On August 9 2022, she contested for the Nakuru County Governor and won on a UDA ticket. She defeated Lee Kinyanjui who was on a Jubilee Party ticket to become the first woman Governor of the the county.
Susan Kihika married Sam Mburu in a traditional wedding on 7 November 2020 in Nyahururu.
