How long is your CV? From Makau Mutua's 77 to Bitange Ndemo's one page CV

By Nairobian Reporter | 7yrs ago | 3 min read

**Unlike your ordinary CV, Mutua’s has no hobbies or interest sections**

What is the perfect CV? If you have applied for a job once, then you probably have fancied yours as the crème of resumes once.

You followed all rules of grammar, detailed your three or so paged CV very well that it probably landed you a job, or aced you that English exam.

Shove that aside; the big names in the country, the very well read technocrats come with bigger than you can imagine CVs, 30 pages and more.

In the run up to The General election in 2013 Jimnah Mbaru who was in the Capital's gubernatorial race was in the news for more than his candidature; Mbaru's 37 page CV found its way to the internet and had the country talking. According to his CV, Jimnah Mbaru is a holder of B. Com (Hons), MBA, LLB (Hons), of which he has gained from various universities around the world among them being Nairobi University.

He holds positions in prestigious organizations with examples of Nairobi Stock Exchange as the Chairman and to top it all up, he is the C.E.O and chairman of Dyer and Blair Bank Investment Bank Limited in Kenya and Uganda. But what makes his CV grow that big?

As The Nairobian read though the Document, Mbaru has listed among others, 12 publications, 4 conference presentations, 17 attended seminars dating as far back as 1987 and his clientele. Much decorated? Well, he is not alone.

While you may shelve his CV on the cabinet that reads 'Kenya's most Impressive CVs' there are many more to accompany his. The Nairobian did some digging on such CVs. Political Columnist and Distinguished Professor University at Buffalo Law School Makau Mutua has a 71 page CV. Yes, you read that right.

Published on the University's website, Mutua' Cv is that long and unlike your ordinary CV, no hobbies or interest sections. One particular section named 'Selected Invited Lectures and Conference Presentations' covers a whole 13 pages. There are also 40 pages of publications detailing his books, reviews, and newspaper and magazine articles among others.

Another one is Prof Lawrence Gumbe, a lecturer at The University of Nairobi who's CV, much like Jimnah Mbaru's is a 35 page document. Section 5.0 of his CV is an interesting part dubbed curriculum development.

"I participated in the production of the 8-4-5 curriculum for the B.Sc. programme in Agricultural Engineering in the late 1980s. At the same time, I was also part of the team which produced the curriculum for the Master of Science degree programe studies in the same Department," he writes.

Further, Prof Gumbe who recently went to Sri Lanka as an election observer details his research work and who sponsored which research. He also has a section naming candidates he has supervised for PhD. There are 22 pages listing all the consultancies he has been part of in different sectors.

Prof. Margaret J. Muthwii is among the ladies with impressive CVs. Her CV starts with a picture of her on the Coverpage, and has a table of contents.

Prof. Muthwii who is the Vice Chancellor Pan Africa Christian University lists not only her book and publications, but also the chapters she has published in other books in her 24 paged CV. Prof. Jane Ciarunji Chesaina follows close with an 11 page CV. Moi University's Chancellor Prof. Miriam Were has an abbreviated CV published that is 13 pages long despite being the short version.

Bitange Ndemo's one paged CV

Not all the big names carry around heavy CVs however.

In a letter written in 2002 to the University of Nairobi's Senior Assistant registrar, Dr. Bitange Ndemo while applying for a teaching position submitted a one page CV.

Ndemo who was applying for the position of Senior Lecturer in the department of Business and Economics had a one page CV that listed his contacts, Education, appointments assignments and assignments. And it was straight to the point; under appointments for example, he only listed where he was and between which years.

Later however, The Nairobian learnt that he updated his CV to a larger five page document while on duty to the US House of Representatives' Committee on Energy.