Late Nobel Laureate, Wangari Mathai honoured with, Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies
UoN honours Wangari Mathai with an institute to provide research, education and community engagement in the field of environmental management
UoN honours Wangari Mathai with an institute to provide research, education and community engagement in the field of environmental management.
Wangari Mathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies has been launched by the University of Nairobi (UoN) on Monday in memory of the late Nobel laureate.
The institute, launched by Environment CS Soipan Tuya, aims to promote community involvement, research, and education in the area of environmental management.
According to UoN, the institute will recognize, honour, celebrate, and immortalize the former Minister for Environment, Natural Resources, and Wildlife.
“Thank you for immortalizing the great Nobel Peace Laureate Prof Wangari Mathai by establishing this institute,” stated Tuya.
“Accept the gratitude of the people at the government of Kenya. The institute aims to carry forward Prof Mathai’s legacy by providing research, education, and community engagement in the field of environmental governance, cultures of peace, climate adaptation, sustainable development, and conservation.”
Mathai first harboured the zeal to set up the institution 50 years ago when she was awarded a Master of Science from the University of Pittsburgh in the United States of America.
She was hired in the University College of Nairobi’s Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Histology in 1966 after completing her master’s degree.
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Soon after, she registered for PhD and returned in Nairobi in 1969 and was appointed as a lecturer in the same department.
“Being at the university teaching veterinary sciences did not stop them from exploring her passion for tree planting with the establishment of her Green Belt Movement in 1977, which eventually became a regional and global movement that have influenced several individuals and organizations to protect the environment,” read a statement from the institution.
Her dream to set up the institute was reinforced in 2007 but sadly, she could not see it to fruition since she passed away from complications of cancer in September 2011.
In 2012, the African Union decided to recognize her life and work during its Session of the General Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Consequently, all Heads of State urged relevant institutions to pool resources for the establishment of the institute as an African Centre of Excellence in environmental governance.
Through her work, Mathai inspired generations and emerged as the inaugural African woman, and the third African overall, to attain the Nobel Peace Prize—a historic achievement.
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