Famous People from KenyaFamous people from Kenya have shaped the course of the world's history in a myriad of ways and include Barack Obama (really?), world-famous environmentalist Wangari Maathai, novelist Ngugi wa Thiong'o, corruption czar John Githongo, CNN journalist Zain Verjee and athletes Paul Tergat and Pamela Jelimo. Barack Obama
Although he hardly knew his father, Barack has been to kenya 3 times and maintains close ties with his paternal relatives. More... Famous People from Kenya: Wangari Maathai
She single-handedly thwarted attempts to grab Uhuru Park, Nairobi's only green park (in order to construct a 62-storey building) and Karura Forest and has planted more than 30 million trees since the inception of her Green Belt Movement in 1977. Although she was assaulted and jailed by the oppressive Moi regime, her decades' old struggle to protect Kenya's remaining forests earned her the world's most prestigious accolade, the Nobel Peace Prize, in 2004. The former Assistant Minister and MP for Tetu constituency is currently concentrating her energies on her NGO, the Green Belt Movement. You can read about her awe-inspiring personal journey in her autobiography, Unbowed: A Memoir Richard LeakeyRichard Leakey, born in December 1944, is the son of eminent archaeologists Louis and Mary Leakey. Although he began his career as a palaeoanthropologist, he is an internationally renowned conservationist who transformed the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) from a corrupt and lethargic institution into vibrant one.In effecting the United Nation's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), he instituted radical anti-poaching measures (where rangers were instructed to take no prisoners) that were responsible for saving Kenya’s elephants from the brink of obliteration. He's most remembered for getting former President Moi to set a 12 ton stockpile of confiscated ivory – worth at least US$ 3 million – ablaze. He wrote about his experiences at KWS in Wildlife Wars: My Battle to Save Kenya's Elephants He was forced out of KWS by mounting political intrigue in 1994 after 5 years at the helm and was replaced by David Western who was seen as less abrasive. More... Ngugi wa Thiong'oNgugi wa Thiong'o, born in January 1938, is arguably East and Central Africa's most prolific writer. He graduated with a BA in English from Makerere University, Uganda in 1963 and his first novel, Weep Not, Child , was published the following year. His second novel, The River Between Other novels by Ngugi wa Thiong'o include Petals of Blood Upon release, Ngugi wa Thiong'o was unable to find suitable employment at the country's universities where he was viewed as anti-government. He was consequently forced into exile in 1982, vowing not to return to Kenya while Moi was still president. His brief homecoming in 2004 was blighted by a robbery and rape of his wife Njeeri wa Ngugi. His latest novel, Wizard of the Crow While many of his earlier works were written in English, he now writes in Gikuyu, his mother tongue although these are then translated into English. He made a spirited defense of this language switch in Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature Ngugi wa Thiongo has taught literature at Yale and New York Universities. He was also awarded tenure by the University of California at Irvine where he is currently Professor of English and Literature as well as the Director of the International Center for Writing and Translation. Famous People from Kenya: John Githongo
Clearly one of the famous people from Kenya, Githongo is currently a Senior Associate Member of St Antony's College, Oxford University, UK and has also recently been appointed to a senior position with World Vision. Jeff KoinangeJeff Koinange is one of the famous people from Kenya. Although he was thrust into the international limelight during his stint at CNN, he is also a former Reuters journalist, KTN news anchor and Pan Am flight attendant.A holder of a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism from New York University, Koinange is now based in Nairobi where he manages the country's newest TV station, K24. Despite leaving CNN in reportedly questionable circumstances, he has lost none of his luster. Indeed, he remains an excellent news anchor and Capital Talk, a half-hour celebrity interview segment he hosts every weekday from 8pm is one of the highlights for TV viewers every evening. And, he mischievously ends his program by asking his guests to repeat K24's famous tagline, "all Kenyan, all the time." Zain Verjee
Before this, she presented Inside Africa but she rose to prominence while presenting CNN International's flagship news program Your World Today. Before joining CNN in 2000, she worked as a presenter of Kenya KTN TV's hard-hitting interview program, The Third Opinion. Famous People from Kenya: Paul Tergat
This mild-mannered runner held the marathon world record from 2003 until it was broken in 2007 by Ethiopian superstar Haile Gebreselassie. In 2004, he was named the UN World Food Program's "Ambassador against Hunger." Easily one of the most recognizable long distance runners, he lives and trains in Kenya's capital Nairobi. Tergat founded Fine Touch Communications, a sports marketing and PR company that organizes the Sportsman of the Year awards held annually in Nairobi and sponsored by mobile giant Safaricom. In 2005, Tergat set up the Paul Tergat Foundation whose vision is to empower disadvantaged communities. Its programs cover a wide spectrum of themes such as community development, education, environment, healthcare, water and sanitation and youth and sports development. Pamela Jelimo
She has recently inspired many young Kenyan girls to achieve their dreams. This is because, despite starting this year as an unknown quantity, she won a gold medal in the 800 meter race at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She was also the first Kenyan to win the Golden League Jackpot where her earnings topped the million dollar mark. Her other achievements include the 800 meter world junior and senior African records. Despite the dramatic change in her circumstances, she continues to be employed as an unglamorous police constable in Embu District in Kenya. Return from Famous People from Kenya to Home Page
|
Topping the "Famous People from Kenya" list is Barack Obama. While Obama is undoubtedly a US citizen, his Kenyan connection stems from the fact that his father was from this beautiful country. 
Prof. Wangari Mathaai is Kenya's (and perhaps the world's) best known environmentalist. 
and about the Green Belt Movement in 
.
.
is about opposing views on female circumcision (now often referred to as female genital mutilation) while a 
signaled his embrace of Marxism. 
and 
. His 
, which was critical of the Moi government and led, in 1977, to his detention at Kamiti, a maximum security prison where he secretly penned the 
on toilet paper. He recorded his experiences in incarceration in his memoir, 
. 
, was published in 2006.
, an essay arguing that Africans should write in their native languages in order to remove all vestiges of colonialism and create an authentic body of African literature.
John Githongo, now resident in Britain is Kenya's former anti-corruption Tsar who fled into exile in 2005 after threats were reportedly made on his life. This was after he implicated 5 top politicians in a US$ 600 million scam referred to as the Anglo Leasing Scandal. 
Zain Verjee, 34, is a Kenyan-Canadian journalist who is currently CNN's State Department correspondent. 
Another of the famous people from Kenya is Paul Tergat who was born in June 1969 in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya which is renowned for producing a number of world class athletes. 
The newest addition to the "Famous People from Kenya List" is teenage sensation Pamela Jelimo, 19, who is a famous 800 meter runner. 
