Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa was born to parents of limited means, and like millions of Kenyans, he grew up in the village.
The former Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) CEO was born and raised in Khabondi village, Mumias East constituency in Kakamega County.
Fernandes Barasa Education
Fernandes Barasa began his schooling at a local primary school.
He then attended Naitiri High School and proceeded to Kenyatta University for Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration, and Ph.D. in Accounting and Finance degrees.
He joined KU in 1993 to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting and graduated in 1997. He was the Chairman of Commerce Accounting Students Association (CASA) in 1996-1997.
Fernandes Barasa’s Career
Fernandes Barasa got his first job as an assistant accountant AT Kenya Airways in 1997.
Years later, he joined KETRACO and started out as a Chief Finance Officer, in 2010.
He would then rise to the rank of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the same organization in 2015.
He is Fellow of Chartered Professional Accountants (FCPA) and former Chairman of the prestigious Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (2015 – 2017).
He also worked as the chairman of of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) between June 2015 and July 2017.
During his tenure as the Managing Director (MD) and CEO at Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO), he was conferred The Order of Grand Warrior (OGW) award in recognition of his outstanding and distinguished service to the nation in various capacities.
Since getting appointed to Ketraco in April 2016, Mr Barasa has grown in terms of wealth.
During the August 2022 general election, Barasa was elected the Kakamega County Governor on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket.
Fernandes Barasa’s Family
Fernandes Barasa is married to Prof. Janet Kasilly Barasa. They are blessed with four children whose profile has been kept low.
Fernandes Barasa’s Wife
Barasa is married to Prof. Janet Nasambu Kassilly Barasa who is a senior lecturer at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST).
She holds a doctorate degree in Islamic Religion and Culture.
Her areas of academic and research interest are in the fields of Islamic Theology, Comparative Religion, African Religion and culture, Religion and Gender.
Her major scholarly contribution was her role in unravelling the nexus between Islam and the Bukusu culture of Bungoma County and her role in Curriculum Review process for the School of Arts and Social Sciences.
She currently serves as a Professor of Religion and Culture in the Department of Social Science Education at MMUST.
Fernandes Barasa Net Worth
Since getting appointed to Ketraco in April 2016, Mr Barasa has grown in terms of wealth.
He has been running his own foundation dubbed Fernandes Barasa Foundation which has been dishing out goodies to youths in Kakamega County.
Apart from issuing hundreds of boda boda motorcycles to youths, he has been constructing houses for the less foirtunate in Kakamega.
These saw him rise to be the Kakamega County Governor.