Kenya’s National Security Adviser to President William Ruto and former Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Monica Juma, has been appointed by Antonio Guterres to two senior leadership roles within the United Nations.
Dr. Juma will serve as the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), placing her at the helm of key UN operations dealing with global security, crime prevention, and international cooperation.
Born on September 26, 1963, in Kitui, Dr. Juma-whose full name is Monica Kathina Juma-has built an extensive career as a Kenyan diplomat and policy expert. She currently serves as National Security Adviser to President Ruto and has previously held several influential positions in government and international diplomacy.
Dr. Juma pursued her undergraduate and master’s studies in Government and Public Administration at the University of Nairobi, graduating in 1987 and 1991 respectively. She later advanced her studies at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, where she earned a certificate in Refugee Studies and completed a Doctor of Philosophy in Politics between 1998 and 2000.
Her diplomatic career includes serving as Kenya’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti, while simultaneously representing the country at the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), all based in Addis Ababa.
Within Kenya’s government, Dr. Juma also served as Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Defence begining June 27, 2013, before later moving to the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government in the same capacity. She subsequently became Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, serving from January 2016 to 2018.
Beyond government service, Dr. Juma has contributed significantly to international peace and security initiatives. She has participated in the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Resourcing the African Union and has been involved in UN Security Council-mandated peacekeeping missions. She has also consulted for various United Nations and African Union agencies on issues related to security, governance, peacebuilding, and development.
On May 23, 2024, Dr. Juma was among distinguished guests invited to a state dinner by then U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in honor of President William Ruto during his state visit to the United States.
In academia, Dr. Juma has also made notable contributions. She is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
Her previous academic roles include serving as Executive Director of Research Africa Institure (2008-2010) and Executive Director of the Africa Policy Institute (2006-2008).
She has also been an Adjunct Faculty Member at the National Defence University’s African Centre for Strategic Studies in Washington DC since 2022, and previously worked as a Senior Researcher and Policy Analyst at Safer Africa from 2002 to 2006.
Dr. Juma is also the patron of the Athena Mentorship Programme and is widely recognized for her scholarly contributions to security and peace studies. She has authored numerous publications in her areas of specialization and is fluent in English, Kiswahili, and Kamba.
