Dr. Swarup Mishra made history for being the first non-Kalenjin Member of Parliament in Uasin Gishu County after locals in Kesses constituency overwhelmingly voted for him during last year’s general elections.
Mishra is popularly known as Kiprop by his supporters but did you know that he was given that name by former Baringo Kanu chairman, the late Joel Bultut in 1998?
Kiprop is a Kalenjin name given to those born during rainy reason but in Mishra’s case, his philanthropy probably earned him that name.
Mishra was born in Odiasha, Eastern India and moved to Eldoret in 1997 where he landed a job at Moi University’s School of Medicine as a lecturer in the reproductive department where he has been teaching until his resignation six months to Agust 8 poll.
He has a strong educational background and holds a postgraduate degree in obstetrics and gynecology from Rajasthan University. The first-term MP also studied Registrarship in Dublin, Ireland as well as a super specialty in gynecological endoscopy from Germany.
His interests in business begun when he leased Pacifica Hospital in Eldoret before later buying it in 2005 and renamed Mediheal Hospital which is now an empire in Medicare spread across East Africa with presence in Eldoret, Nakuru, Nairobi, Kigali (Rwanda), Addis Ababa, (Ethiopia), Goma (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Burundi.
The MP is now a popular figure among locals not only in his constituency but across Uasin Gishu County.
Whenever addressing any gathering, he always begins and closes with a few words from the Kalenjin language, perhaps an indication of how much he has freely integrated and is willing to be associated with the community.
There has been a word of him having interest in the Uasin Gishu gubernatorial seat but it is just a matter of time before his political ambitions come out clearly ahead of the 2022 polls.