Famous Kenyan Activists

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This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

Wangari Maathai

(The First African Woman to Receive 'Nobel Peace Prize')

Birthdate: April 1, 1940

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Ihithe, Kenya

Died: September 25, 2011

Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan environmental, social, and political activist. She achieved popularity after becoming the first African woman to be honored with the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. She is credited with founding a non-governmental organization called The Green Belt Movement (GBM), which focuses on women's rights and environmental conservation.

Auma Obama

(Kenyan-British Journalist, Community Activist and Half-Sister of Barack Obama)

Birthdate: 1960 AD

Birthplace: Nairobi, Kenya

Auma Obama is a Kenyan-British journalist, community activist, author, and sociologist. She is also famous as the half-sister of former American President Barack Obama. Auma Obama is perhaps best known for her association with a non-profit organization called Sauti Kuu Foundation, where she serves as the executive chairwoman. The organization aims at helping orphans struggling with poverty in Kenya.

Kuki Gallmann

(Writer)

Birthdate: June 1, 1943

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Treviso, Italy Treviso, Kingdom of Italy Italy

Born to Italian writer Cino Boccazzi, Kuki Gallmann later moved to Kenya with her husband and son, both of whom she lost in separate accidents. Taking up Kenyan citizenship, she focused on ecological conservation. He bestselling book I Dreamed Of Africa was later made into a movie.

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Ida Odinga

(Kenyan Businesswoman, Educator, Activist and Wife of the Former Prime Minister of Kenya)

Birthdate: August 24, 1950

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Migori, Kenya

Ida Odinga is a Kenyan businesswoman, educator, and activist. Ida is the wife of Raila Odinga, the former Prime Minister of Kenya. In 2003, Ida Odinga became one of the first women to lead a major Kenyan company when she was appointed as the managing director of a liquified gas cylinder manufacturing company called East African Spectre.

Lucy Kibaki

(Former First Lady of Kenya)

Birthdate: January 13, 1936

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: MUKURWE-INI, Kenya

Died: April 26, 2016

Lucy Kibaki is a Kenyan public figure best known for her service as Kenya's First Lady from 2002 to 2013. The wife of popular Kenyan politician Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki, Lucy also served as the Second Lady of Kenya from 1978 to 1988. Lucy Kibaki is also known for her charitable work and often works for disadvantaged and disabled people.

Nanjala Nyabola

(Kenyan Writer and Journalist)

Birthplace: Kenya

Ory Okolloh

(Kenyan Lawyer, Activist, and Blogger)

Birthdate: 1977 AD

Birthplace: Kenya

Ory Okolloh is a Kenyan lawyer, activist, and blogger. She is best known for her association with a self-styled philanthropic investment firm called Omidyar Network where she serves as the Director of Investments. Okolloh was formerly associated with Google, where she was the Policy Manager for Africa. Okolloh is also credited with co-creating an open source software application called Ushahidi.

Micere Githae Mugo

(Kenyan-born Zimbabwean Author, Playwright, Poet, and Activist)

Birthdate: 1942 AD

Birthplace: Baricho, Kirinyaga District, Kenya

Micere Githae Mugo is a Kenyan-born Zimbabwean author, playwright, poet, and activist. A literary critic, she also serves as the professor of literature at Syracuse University's Department of African American Studies. Over the years, Micere Githae Mugo has received several prestigious awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in African Literature from the Royal African Society in 2021.

Pamela Mboya

(Kenyan Diplomat, Political Activist and the Wife of Tom Mboya, One of the Founding Father's of Kenya)

Birthdate: 1938 AD

Birthplace: Maseno, Kenya

Died: January 26, 2009

Pamela Mboya was a Kenyan diplomat and political activist. She is best remembered as the wife of Tom Mboya, who is counted among the founding fathers of Kenya. Pamela Mboya became an iconic figure in Kenya during the 1970s after images of her grieving the death of her husband in 1969 spread like wildfire throughout the country; Tom was assassinated.

Thomas R. Odhiambo

(Kenyan Environmental Activist and Entomologist)

Birthdate: February 4, 1931

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Nyanza Province, Kenya

Died: May 26, 2003

Thomas R. Odhiambo was a Kenyan environmental activist and entomologist. He is credited with founding an international scientific research institute called the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology. Thomas R. Odhiambo also helped found three institutions of learning, namely the African Academy of Sciences, the Kenyan National Academy of Sciences, and the Third World Academy of Sciences.

Kakenya Ntaiya

(Kenyan Social Activist, Educator, and Feminist)

Birthdate: 1978 AD

Birthplace: Kenya

Kakenya Ntaiya is a Kenyan social activist, educator, and feminist. She is credited with founding a boarding school for girls called the Kakenya Center for Excellence, where she serves as the president. Kakenya Ntaiya's effort to educate girls in Kenya has earned her a number of awards, such as the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award and Global Women's Rights Award.