Professor George Luchiri Wajackoyah is a Kenyan politician, lawyer, priest, educationist, and former police officer.
He is best known as the founding leader of the Roots Party of Kenya, a political party that ran on a platform centred on the legalisation and commercialisation of marijuana (bhang) as a means to pay off Kenya’s national debt and stimulate economic growth.
He contested the 2022 Kenyan Presidential Election under the Roots Party banner, coming in fourth place but generating enormous media attention and public debate. He is widely regarded as one of the most academically credentialed politicians in Kenya’s history, holding an estimated 17 academic degrees.
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George Luchiri Wajackoyah: History · Bio · Photo
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| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Full Name: | George Luchiri Wajackoyah |
| Born: | 24 October 1959 |
| Age: | 66 years old |
| Birthplace: | St. Mary Hospital, Jinja, Uganda (of Kenyan parents) |
| State of Origin: | Kakamega County, Western Kenya |
| Nationality: | Kenyan |
| Occupation: | Politician, Lawyer, Law Professor, Priest, Former Police Officer |
| Religion: | Christian (ordained priest) |
| Parents: | Father: Tito Olilo Jakoya; Mother: Melenia Makokha |
| Spouse: | Meller Lee Cheatham (African-American) |
| Children: | Yes (number not publicly specified) |
Early Life
George Luchiri Wajackoyah was born on 24 October 1959 at St. Mary Hospital in Jinja, Uganda, though both his parents were Kenyan nationals. His father is Tito Olilo Jakoya and his mother is Melenia Makokha.
He grew up in Indangalasia village in West Wanga, Mumias, Kakamega County, in the western part of Kenya a region with deep Luhya cultural roots. His mother’s side of the family has Ugandan heritage, with his maternal grandfather’s family being immigrants from Samia, a people of the Bakhulo clan Bantu-speaking communities spread across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Wajackoyah’s early life was marked by profound hardship and instability. His parents divorced when he was very young some accounts say when he was three years old, others when he was around 16 leaving him largely without parental guidance.
Seeking to reconnect with his mother, who was rumoured to have moved to Uganda, young George travelled to Busia with the intention of crossing into Uganda. The journey brought him not to his mother but to Nairobi, where he ended up living on the streets.
As a street boy in Nairobi, Wajackoyah experienced the harsh realities of life without shelter, food, or protection. He and other street children were routinely beaten by police and city council askaris. It was during this period of extraordinary vulnerability that fortune intervened in his life.
He was rescued by followers of the Hare Krishna movement, who took him in and gave him the stability he desperately needed. One of the followers sponsored his secondary school education, giving him the chance he would otherwise never have had.
Education
Despite beginning life as a street boy with no guaranteed path to formal education, George Wajackoyah went on to accumulate one of the most impressive academic portfolios of any Kenyan politician in history estimated at 17 academic degrees.
After his rescue by the Hare Krishna community, he completed his primary education and was enrolled at St. Peter Mumias Boys High School, where he completed his A-Levels in 1980. He then joined the Kenya Police Training College, Kiganjo, where he studied Policing and Criminal Investigation, entering the police service as a recruit constable.
After fleeing Kenya in 1990 following his torture and detention (see Career section), Wajackoyah settled in the United Kingdom and embarked on an extraordinary academic journey. He studied law at several of Britain’s most respected institutions:
- University of Wolverhampton – Law degree (graduated 1996)
- SOAS, University of London – Advanced legal studies
- University of Warwick – Master of Law in Development (graduated 1998)
- University of Westminster and UOL Birkbeck – Additional law qualifications
He later moved to the United States and continued his studies at the University of Baltimore, where he earned a Master of Laws (US Law) in 2006. He also studied at Walden University and other American institutions.
In 2025, Wajackoyah further expanded his credentials when he graduated with a PhD in Criminal Justice from a US university, an achievement he described as leaving him “highly honoured.” In addition to law, his academic interests span French, Economics, Philosophy, Security and Intelligence, and African Studies.
Career
Wajackoyah’s career is one of the most extraordinary and multi-layered stories in Kenya’s public life, spanning policing, exile, academia, law, and politics.
Police Career: After completing his training at the Kenya Police Training College in Kiganjo, Wajackoyah joined the Kenya Police Service as a recruit constable and rose through the ranks to the Inspectorate.
During his police career, he was deployed in various roles, including as part of former President Mwai Kibaki’s security detail. In 1990, he was placed in charge of a critical intelligence-gathering mission investigating the murder of late Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Robert Ouko, who was found dead on 12 February 1990.
Wajackoyah’s thorough and inquisitive approach to the investigation brought him into direct conflict with powerful interests. He was subsequently arrested, detained, and severely tortured, nearly losing his eyesight in the process.
Exile in the United Kingdom: In 1990, with American assistance, Wajackoyah was helped out of detention and flown to the United Kingdom, where he began a new chapter of his life in exile.
He spent over two decades in the UK, during which time he pursued his extensive legal education, was called to the Bar, and built a respected career as a legal practitioner specialising in immigration law. He practised law in the UK for more than 20 years and was involved with an immigration specialist law firm.
Academic Career: While in the UK and later the US, Wajackoyah also established himself as a law educator. He served as an adjunct professor of law at the American Heritage University of Southern California. He has taught human rights, law and economics, comparative constitutional law, and international law at institutions in the UK, the US, and Kenya.
Return to Kenya and Legal Practice: In 2010, Wajackoyah returned to Kenya after two decades abroad. He immediately established his law firm, Luchiri & Co. Advocates, in Nairobi, through which he has practised law for over 25 years in total. As of 2022, he served as a Faculty Member at the Institute of Migration at the University of Nairobi and as a law lecturer teaching International Law at the United States International University Africa (USIU-Africa).
Political Career: Wajackoyah had first announced an intention to run for Kenya’s presidency as far back as the 2012 general election, though he later withdrew without explanation.
In 2021, he formally announced his candidacy for the 9 August 2022 Kenyan Presidential Election under the banner of the Roots Party of Kenya. His campaign was unlike anything Kenya had seen before. He campaigned vigorously for the legalisation and commercialisation of marijuana, arguing that revenue from cannabis exports could dramatically reduce Kenya’s national debt.
He also controversially proposed the export of hyena body parts said to be prized in Chinese traditional medicine as an additional revenue stream, a proposal that drew both ridicule and significant attention. Despite the unconventional nature of his platform, Wajackoyah connected powerfully with Kenya’s youth and was cleared to contest by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
He finished fourth in the presidential race but generated global media coverage and sparked a nationally significant conversation about economic policy, drug law reform, and political imagination.
Awards and Recognition
Professor George Wajackoyah has not received formal state awards in Kenya, though his academic credentials represent recognition from some of the world’s most prestigious universities.
His contribution to Kenya’s political discourse particularly his role in broadening conversations about drug policy, economic innovation, and the participation of non-mainstream candidates in democracy has been widely acknowledged. He is frequently cited as one of the most academically credentialed politicians in Kenyan history.
Social Media
Professor George Wajackoyah maintains an active presence on social media, particularly on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), where he engages with his supporters, shares political commentary, and discusses legal and policy issues.
- X (Twitter): @glwajackoyah
- Instagram: @profgeorgewajackoyah
- Facebook: @Wajackoyah
Personal Life
George Wajackoyah is married to Meller Lee Cheatham, an African-American woman he met during his time in the United States. The couple have children together, though the specific number and names of their children have not been publicly disclosed.
His wife and children continue to reside in the United States, while Wajackoyah himself is based in Kenya. He is also an ordained priest a dimension of his identity that is rarely emphasised but speaks to the spiritual depth beneath his outspoken political persona.
Wajackoyah is well known for his signature dreadlocks, which became one of the most iconic visual elements of his 2022 presidential campaign. His unconventional appearance, combined with his formidable academic record and his dramatic personal story, made him one of the most instantly recognisable political figures in Kenya.
His personal story from an abandoned street boy rescued by a religious community to a holder of 17 degrees and a presidential candidate is one of the most remarkable in Kenyan public life. He has been open about the trauma of his childhood, his experience of torture at the hands of the Kenyan state in 1990, and his long years of exile in Britain. These experiences have deeply shaped his legal philosophy and his political worldview.
Net Worth
Professor George Wajackoyah’s exact net worth has not been publicly declared.
However, as the founding partner of Luchiri & Co. Advocates a Nairobi-based law firm with over 25 years of practice and as an academic who has lectured at multiple universities across the UK, the US, and Kenya, he is generally regarded as financially comfortable.
His net worth is derived from his legal practice, academic consultancy, and other investments. Some estimates place his wealth in the millions of Kenyan shillings, though precise figures remain undisclosed.
FAQs
What is Professor George Wajackoyah known for?
Professor Wajackoyah is best known as the leader of the Roots Party of Kenya and his 2022 presidential campaign, during which he advocated for the legalisation of marijuana in Kenya as a way to generate revenue and pay off the country’s national debt. He is also known as one of Kenya’s most academically decorated politicians, with an estimated 17 degrees.
Was George Wajackoyah a street boy?
Yes. After his parents divorced during his childhood, Wajackoyah ended up as a street boy in Nairobi. He was rescued by the Hare Krishna movement, whose followers sponsored his secondary school education and helped him get back on his feet.
What happened to Wajackoyah in 1990?
In 1990, while serving as a police inspector in charge of gathering intelligence on the murder of Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Robert Ouko, Wajackoyah’s investigations brought him into conflict with powerful interests. He was subsequently arrested, detained, and severely tortured, almost losing his eyesight. He was eventually helped by American officials and flown to the UK, where he spent over 20 years in exile.
How many degrees does George Wajackoyah have?
Wajackoyah is reported to hold an estimated 17 academic degrees, most of them in law, from universities in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Kenya. In 2025, he added a PhD in Criminal Justice from a US university.
Who is George Wajackoyah’s wife?
George Wajackoyah is married to Meller Lee Cheatham, an African-American woman he met during his years in the United States.
What is George Wajackoyah’s tribe?
George Wajackoyah is from the Luhya ethnic community of Western Kenya. He was raised in Indangalasia village in West Wanga, Mumias, Kakamega County. His mother has roots in the Bakhulo clan, which straddles Kenya and Uganda.
Conclusion
Professor George Luchiri Wajackoyah is one of the most extraordinary and unconventional figures in contemporary Kenyan public life.
His story from street orphan to decorated academic, from a man tortured by the state to a presidential candidate challenging that same state on the biggest political stage in the country is not merely inspiring; it is extraordinary. Whether one agrees with his politics or his proposals, it is impossible to deny the breadth of his intellect, the depth of his experiences, and the impact he has had on Kenya’s political imagination.
His 2022 presidential run may not have produced a seat at State House, but it produced something arguably more valuable: a new kind of political conversation in Kenya, one that dared to think radically, speak boldly, and remind a generation of young Kenyans that politics belongs to everyone including those who have had to fight for every inch of the ground beneath their feet.
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