FACTBOX-Kenyan Finance Minister Amos Kimunya

July 8 (Reuters) - Kenyan Finance Minister Amos Kimun?a saidon Tuesday he had asked the preside?t to ali? to "staside" during a ?robe ine controversial sale of a luxury hotel that critics have called a shady deal.

Kimunya has denied wrongdoing. ? F?ll?ing cts abom.

* Kimunya was elected member of parliament for the central Kipipiri constituency in 2002 and appointed lands minister the following year. He moved to the finance ministry in February 2006 and was reappointed after the 2007 presidential election.

* Kimunya is in a similar situation to his predecessor, David Mwiraria, who resigned after implication in a fictitious passport printing scam known as Anglo-Leasing. Some $200 million w?s skimmrough bogus procurement contracts and then mysteriously returned to the treasury.

* Kimun?a has bre?ited fontaining the economic growth that Kenya, east Africa's bigg?st econhas enjoyed ?ince Prent Mwai Kibaki took power in late 2002. But the bloody crisis after a Dec. 27 vote has hampered th?t, at ae w?en wor?? oices are at record highs.

* A former club captain at the prestigious Muthaiga Golf Club, once a favourite haunt for Kibaki, Kimunya is viewed by many as part of the president's inner circle of politicians from the dominant Kikuyu ethnic community.

* He has presided over Kenya's ongoing privatisation programme like the sale of 51 percent in the state landline monopoly Telkom Kenya to France Telecom (FTE.PA: Quote, Profile, Research). He also directed the cou?try's bt share offering in mobile phone firm Safaricom (SCOM.NR: Quote, Profile, Research). ? * MaKenyans praised ?im for opulist-leaning '08/'09 budget proposals last month, which wer? aimed building the ?ation athe election crisis. He is also credited with maintaining fiscal discipline and macro-economic stability.

* The 46-year-old?acc?unts se?easily achable by media and members of Kenya's corporate world.