Nominated Senator Hamida Ali Kibwana has graduated with a Master of Arts in Project Planning and Management from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), adding to her academic qualifications as she serves in the Senate.

Kibwana graduated from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) and celebrated the achievement in a Facebook post.

“A Master’s degree earned, a new chapter begins. Congratulations to me!” she wrote.

The senator is the chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Roads, Transport and Housing, a position she assumed in September after fellow senators unanimously elected her to replace Migori Senator Eddy Oketch.

She was nominated to the Senate in 2022 through the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), bringing experience in electoral processes and political strategy to the House.

According to her parliamentary profile, Kibwana began her career in 1997 as a returning officer and coordinator at the Electoral Commission of Kenya, where she worked until 2005.

She subsequently joined the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), serving as an election adviser specialist from 2006 to 2015.

Between 2016 and 2022, she worked as a strategist and election expert for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, including at his presidential secretariat.

Kibwana also pursued further studies at Marist International University between 2018 and 2022, before undertaking her latest postgraduate qualification.

Her current Senate role involves overseeing matters relating to roads, transport and housing, sectors central to infrastructure development and public service delivery.

The graduation ceremony also attracted attention when Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna received loud cheers from graduands and attendees after being introduced by the university’s vice-chancellor.

The reception came amid political discussions over the opposition’s leadership and possible contenders for the 2027 presidential election.

However, the ceremony primarily brought together graduands, university officials, families and invited guests to celebrate the completion of their academic programmes.