He was educated in St. Paul's College in Wusasa, Zaria, and later considered joining the Nigerian Army following advice from Mamman Daura and Ibrahim Tahir.

[15][16] As chief of staff, he was widely considered to be the face of an infamous was that wielded high political powers in the government.

[21] In 2017, following a leaked memo, Kyari became embroiled in a public argument with the Head of Civil Service,[22] who was later removed from office and then arrested.

[27][5] On 24 March 2020, it was made public that Kyari had tested positive for COVID-19 following an official trip to Germany nine days before.

[32] He was eulogised by The Economist as "a largely honourable man who went to the heart of a thoroughly corrupt and dysfunctional system, aiming to reform it—but who struggled to overcome its inertia amid a series of crises.