Biography
Born to a poor rural family in Machakos District (now Makueni County), Kenya, attributes my awakening as a conservationist to a local tradition of poor people hunting birds and mammals for food but a recognition within my family and my peers that so many species were becoming rarer. This led to my pursuing a degree in Wildlife Management at Moi University in 1990. I then undertook an MPhil through which I gained valuable experience while undertaking field surveys on the globally threatened East Coast Akalat in Kenya’s famous Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. I worked for 10 years and then I pursued my PhD in Environmental Planning and Management of Kenyatta University where I studied and wrote a thesis on ‘Impact of Participatory Natural Resource Management on Forest Quality and Livelihoods Systems in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kenya. Led Nature Kenya from a small, low staffed, poorly resourced, financially unstable organisation with less than 500 members to become todays premier conservation organisation with 1000 members, 50 staff, over 2 million US$ annual project portfolio and over US$ one-million reserve.
Speaking at
Areas of importance for biodiversity: what are we missing?
Oct 10 2025 (10:30 - 11:10)
Room: Learning Zone Pavilion: Publications Hub