There are two famous names of people who were born in Kenya and have been singled out for their ground-breaking work.
Richard Leakey
Richard Leakey
- Although Richard Leakey is of British descent, he was born in Nairobi and became a huge public figure in Kenya. He is a conservationist as well as a palaeontologist and an archaeologist. He inherited his archeology talents from his parents as they were also in that field of work.
- His love for animals and wildlife led him to protest against elephant poachers who would hunt elephants for their extremely valuable ivory tusks. He started a safari company when he was an ambitious teenager and in 1989, he became the head of the Kenya Wildlife Service.
- His political urgency found him setting up a political party in 1995 known as 'Safina' which aimed to destroy the underlying corruption going on within the country. By 1999, Leakey became the Cabinet Secretary of the Moi regime as well as the head of the civil service. His most recent achievement was getting involved with the Transparency International and becoming the head of the Kenyan branch.
- Professor Maathai has received a number of accolades, yet perhaps her biggest achievement is becoming the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace prize for her contribution to the environment and women's rights.
- She was awarded a PhD from the University of Nairobi for her studies in veterinary medicine, this made her the first East African woman to receive this form of academic honor.
- Maathai set up the Green Belt Movement and, despite being put in prison for a number of violent acts, she was voted into Kibaki's administration to become the Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources.
