Popular Kenyan writer and journalist Rasna Warah has died. The news of her demise was confirmed by family friend Al-Amin Kimathi who expressed his deep sorrow and offered condolences to the family during this difficult time.
“Very sad news of the passing on Rasna Warah. Hello all. Rasna Warah passed away a couple of hours ago. More details to follow. Zahid Rajan has posted on our WhatsApp group,” he said.
“My deepest condolences to her husband Grey Phombeah and the family. Inalillahi waina illehi rajeoon.”
Warah, known for her fearless commentary on societal issues, governance, and human rights, was diagnosed with cancer in 2022.
“I was diagnosed with cancer last year,” she wrote her official X account in December 27,2023.
Rasna revealed that she had breast cancer in an article titled, “The Enemy Within”, published by The Elephant online newsmagazine on October 28.
Professional Career of Veteran Journalist Rasna Warah
Her work resonated deeply with Kenyans and international audiences, earning her a place among the country’s most respected voices in media.
She had more than 20 years of experience as an editor, writer, journalist and communications consultant at the national and international levels.
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Rasna worked with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) for nearly 12 years, where she was the editor and co-author of two editions of the UN-Habitat flagship State of the World’s Cities report (2006/7 and 2008/9).
In addition to her editorial roles, Rasna provided strategic communications expertise for complex projects, leading impactful communication campaigns.
Notable among these were her contributions to the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul in June 1996, and the World Urban Forum held in Vancouver and Beijing in 2006 and 2008, respectively.
Editorial Role
She also served as the editor of the quarterly magazine Habitat Debate and has written for the Mail and Guardian, the East African, Cityscapes, State of the World, UN Chronicle and Kwani?
Rasna’s work in Kenya includes preparing a communication strategy for the National Urban Development Policy in 2011, editing Kenya’s Vision 2030 in 2007, and being part of a team that edited the Kenya Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission report in 2012.
She has also collaborated with Kenya’s county governments to prepare public health strategies as part of a USAID-funded initiative to support the health sector in Kenya.
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In 2011, Rasna served as the Editor-in-Chief of the State of the Cities in Africa report series for the African Centre for Cities at the University of Cape Town.
Most recently, in 2020, she edited Towards the Just City in Kenya, a report published by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Kenya Office.
She has also edited an anthology titled Missionaries, Mercenaries and Misfits (2008), which critiques the aid industry in East Africa.
Columnist and Author of Books
Additionally, the journalist was a former columnist with the Daily Nation newspaper and was a columnist and copy editor with The Elephant from 2017 till 2020.
Rasna has published seven books: Triple Heritage (1998); Missionaries, Mercenaries and Misfits (2008); Red Soil and Roasted Maize (2011); Mogadishu Then and Now (2012); War Crimes (2014); UNsilenced (2016).and Lords of Impunity (2022).
She held an M.A. degree in Communication for Development from Malmö University in Malmö, Sweden, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Women’s Studies from Suffolk University in Boston, USA.
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