Francis Masakhalia

Francis Omoto Masakhalia, EGH, is a Kenyan politician and economist. He served as the Minister for Finance under President Daniel arap Moi from February to August 1999, and was the inaugural Member of Parliament for the newly created Butula Constituency in Busia County, serving from 1998 to 2002. A career technocrat before entering elective politics, Masakhalia is credited with introducing Kenya's Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), a three-year forward budgeting system, during his tenure at the Treasury.

Education Masakhalia holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Delhi University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Denver, and a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. He also holds a PhD in Development Economics.

Career

Civil service Prior to entering electoral politics, Masakhalia built a career in Kenya's civil service, rising to the position of Permanent Secretary at the Treasury.

2002 elections In the 2002 general elections, Masakhalia lost the Butula seat to Christine Mango of the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). During the political realignments preceding that election, he briefly defected from KANU to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) before returning to KANU, a switch that did not aid his re-election prospects as the political tide turned sharply against KANU nationally.

Honours Masakhalia holds the state honour of Elder of the Golden Heart (EGH), awarded by the Government of Kenya.

Personal life Masakhalia is associated with Butula sub-county, Busia County, Kenya. He was married to the late Florence Masakhalia.