Winfred Nyiva Mwendwa is a Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

n politician. She was the first Kenyan woman to serve as a cabinet minister.

She was educated at Alliance Girls High School

Alliance Girls High School

Alliance Girls' High School is a national girls school with boarding facilities located in the small town of Kikuyu in the Kiambu District of the Central Province of Kenya, 20 km away from the central Nairobi...

. She was elected for the post of Kitui West Constituency

Kitui West Constituency

Kitui West Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of four constituencies in Kitui District. The constituency was established for the 1966 elections.- Members of Parliament :- Wards :...

 MP three times, in 1974 and 1992 representing KANU

Kenya African National Union

The Kenya African National Union, better known as KANU is a political party which ruled Kenya for nearly 40 years after its independence from British colonial rule in 1963, until its electoral loss at the end of 2002...

 and in 2002 representing NARC

National Rainbow Coalition

The National Rainbow Coalition was a coalition of Kenyan political parties in power from 2002 and 2005 when it fell apart in a controversy between its wings about a constitutional referendum.-Formation:...

. At the 2007 elections she contested the seat on the ODM-Kenya ticket, but lost to Charles Mutisya Nyamai

Charles Mutisya Nyamai

Charles Mutisya Nyamai is a Kenyan politician. He belongs to NARC and was elected to represent the Kitui West Constituency in the National Assembly of Kenya since the Kenyan parliamentary election, 2007.-References:...

.

Mwendwa was appointed the Minister for Culture and Social Services after the 1992 election, becoming the first female minister in Kenya.

She caused a national disfavour in 1995 when she travelled to women’s conference in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

 in 1995 and took a hairdresser

Hairdresser

Hairdresser is a term referring to anyone whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques...

 as a part of her delegation. Mwendwa herself defended the decision by stating that being a delegation leader, she must take care of her appearance.

Her husband Kitili Mwendwa was Kenyan chief justice and politician. Kitili Mwendwa died in a traffic accident in 1985. He was at the time the Kitui West MP, his seat was taken at the subsequent by-election by his brother Kyale Mwendwa. His other brother, Eliud Ngala Mwendwa is also a former Kenyan minister.

She lives in Matinyani village in Kitui District

Kitui District

Kitui District is an administrative district in the Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Kitui. The district has a population of 515,422 and an area of 20,402 km² .- Government :...

. Nyiva Mwendwa has two children, Kavinya and Maluki.