{{short description|Kenyan mayor}} {{Use British English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Charles Wanyoike Rubia | honorific_prefix = Hon. | image = | caption = | birth_date = 1923 | birth_place = Kenya | death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|12|23|1923}} | death_place = Karen, Nairobi, Kenya | occupation = Politician | known_for = First African Mayor of Nairobi, Multi-party democracy activism | office1 = Mayor of Nairobi | term_start1 = 1962 | term_end1 = 1967 | predecessor1 = Harold Travis | successor1 = Isaac Lugonzo | office2 = Member of Parliament for Starehe Constituency | term_start2 = 1969 | term_end2 = 1988 | party = Kenya African National Union (KANU) | awards = Honorary Doctor of Letters (Murang'a University of Technology, 2018) }}
'''Charles Wanyoike Rubia''' (1923<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9EAOAQAAMAAJ&q=Charles+Wanyoike+Rubia+1923|title=Africa Who's who|first=Raph|last=Uwechue|date=December 25, 1991|publisher=Africa Journal Limited|isbn=9780903274173|via=Google Books}}</ref> – 23 December 2019) was the mayor of Nairobi from 1962 to 1967, the first native African to hold the post.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Werlin |first=Herbert H. |date=1966 |title=The Nairobi City Council: A Study in Comparative Local Government |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/177704 |journal=Comparative Studies in Society and History |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=181–198 |issn=0010-4175}}</ref> He later joined Parliament, where he rose to the cabinet. In 1990, together with Hon. Kenneth Matiba, Rubia led the calls for multi-party democracy and was subsequently detained twice by President Daniel arap Moi. He was later released from detention after one year, and had been in poor health ever since.
He became Mayor of Nairobi in July 1962.<ref name=":0" /> He was re-elected to the position in October 1963, and July 1964.<ref name=":0" /> In September 1964, Rubia briefly resigned as mayor before returning to the position.<ref name=":0" />
He was an MP from Starehe Constituency in Nairobi from 1969 to 1988.<ref>Center for Multiparty Democracy: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080228121210/http://www.cmd.or.ke/images/Politics%20and%20Paliamenterians%20in%20Kenya.pdf Politics and Paliamenterians in Kenya 1944-2007]</ref>
In July 2018, Murang'a University of Technology honoured the past Mayor of Nairobi with a Doctor of letters degree for his good work in mobilizing the community in the establishment of Murang'a college of Technology.
He died on 23 December 2019, aged 96, in his Karen home, in Nairobi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/48020-first-nairobi-mayor-dies-nairobi|title=Moi's Minister Dies in Nairobi - Kenyans.co.ke}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2019-12-23-nairobis-first-black-mayor-charles-rubia-dies-at-96/|title=Nairobi's first black mayor Charles Rubia dies at 96|website=The Star}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-xl/africa/kenya/charles-rubia-veteran-politician-dies-at-96/ar-BBYgR3U?li=BBKhQr3&ocid=wispr|title=Charles Rubia: Veteran politician dies at 96|website=www.msn.com|access-date=2019-12-24}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.hrw.org/reports/1990/WR90/AFRICA.BOU-03.htm Human Rights Watch article referencing Charles Rubia] {{NairobiMayors}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubia, Charles Wanyoike}} Category:1923 births Category:2019 deaths Category:Mayors of Nairobi Category:Politicians from Nairobi Category:Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) Category:Prisoners and detainees of Kenya Category:Government ministers of Kenya
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