The World Wildlife Fund (WFF) Kenya has appointed former Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Judi Wakhungu, to the WWF International Board of Trustees.
In a statement on January 8, WWF stated that Wakhungu is widely recognized for championing landmark environmental reforms during her tenure in government.
The reforms included the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act of 2013, the Forest Act of 2015, the Climate Change Act of 2016, and the 2017 ban on single-use plastic bags.
“WWF-Kenya is proud to celebrate the appointment of Kenya’s former Minister for Environment, Water & Natural Resources, Prof. Amb. Judi Wakhungu, to the WWF International Board of Trustees,” read part of the announcement.
Judi Wakhungu Career Background
Judi Wakhungu is a geologist, who has held numerous international roles.
She has served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the UN Secretary-General, as an Energy Advisor to the World Bank, and as Vice-President of the United Nations Environment Assembly.
Her leadership in global conservation has also been recognized through prestigious honours such as the Oceans Award and the Clark R. Bavin Award.
Professor Judi Wakhungu was appointed as the Ambassador of Kenya to the French Republic, Portugal, Serbia & Holy See in January 2018.
In this diplomatic capacity, she served as Kenya’s highest-ranking representative with direct responsibility for stewarding negotiations and delivering essential bi-lateral talks.
Wakhungu has also served as a Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources from 2013 to 2018.
She has also worked as an Executive Director of the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) in Nairobi from 2002 to 2013.
Judi was an Associate Professor, Science, Technology, and Society at the Pennsylvania State University and was the Director of the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Institute.
She was the Technical Advisor to the Group Energy Management Assistance Program, World Bank a role she held from 2010 to 2013.
She also served as the Project Leader of the Renewable Energy Technology Dissemination Project of the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).
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Educational Background
Judi has a bachelor’s degree in Geology from the university of St. Lawrence which she earned in 1983.
She has also earned a master’s degree in geology from the University of Acadia and a Doctor of Philosophy from Penn State University in 1993.
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About WWF
WWF was established in 1961 by a group of passionate and committed individuals who sought to secure the funding necessary to protect places and species that were threatened by human development.
Inspired by a series of articles in a UK newspaper written by Sir Julian Huxley about the destruction of habitat and wildlife in East Africa, businessman Victor Stolan pointed out the urgent need for an international organization to raise funds for conservation.
The idea was then shared with Max Nicholson, Director General of British government agency Nature Conservancy, who enthusiastically took up the challenge.
Nicholson was motivated in part by the financial difficulties facing the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and felt that a new fundraising initiative might help IUCN and other conservation groups carry out their mission.
He drafted a plan in April 1961 that served as a basis for WWF’s founding, which was then endorsed by the executive board of IUCN in a document known as the Morges Manifesto.
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