For the last 20 years, immediate former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri has been one of the rising political stars in the country. However now, his political career could be hanging on balance following his sacking from Cabinet by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
At just 28 years, Kiunjuri was elected to Parliament during the 1997 general election as Laikipia East Member of Parliament. In the process, he became one of the youngest MPs at the time. Since then, Kiunjuri has never looked back.
In 2002, he easily defended his seat as his political star shone even brighter. He would go on to win his third consecutive term in 2007 and President Mwai Kibaki appointed him as assistant Minister.
Fourth time unluckily, Kiunjuri was floored in 2013. This for the first time in 15 years, the former teacher found himself out of Parliament. However, his suffering was short-lived as President Kenyatta put him to cabinet in 2015 after the resignation of Anne Waiguru as Devolution Cabinet Secretary.
He would later emerge as one of the most dependable figures in President Kenyatta's reorganized government as the head of state was bidding for his re-election.
With the President securing another term, there was a place for Kiunjuri in the new government. He was taken to the ministry of Agriculture. But then things started going bad for him.
On many occasions he was accused of ignoring the plight of maize farmers, Kiunjuri at one point tested the wrath of the President.
Since then, Kiunjuri has been operating on borrowed time with his firing seen by many as a matter of when rather than if. Then on Tuesday, the President released a trigger, throwing his political future into a spin.
Whatever the Moi University-trained teacher decides to do ahead of 2022 remains to be seen.