United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Monica Juma as Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV).
In a statement on Friday, Guterres said Juma will succeed Ghada Fathi Waly of Egypt, who has been serving in the two positions.
He noted that John Brandolino will continue to serve as Acting Executive Director of UNODC and Acting Director-General of UNOV until Juma assumes her position.
Juma has been serving as National Security Adviser to President William Ruto and Secretary to Kenya’s National Security Council (since 2022).
Juma is a strategic senior leader with a depth of expertise, experience, and knowledge spanning public policy making, execution, and academia across critical areas of security, diplomacy, and governance.
Previously, she held the role of Cabinet Secretary in strategic Ministries of Kenya, namely the Ministry of Energy (2021-2022); Ministry of Defence (2020-2021); Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2018-2020), and was Acting Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining (2022).
She further served as Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2016-2018), Department of Interior, Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government (2014-2016), and Ministry of Defence (2013-2014).
Jum was also an Ambassador of Kenya to Ethiopia and Djibouti and Permanent Representative of Kenya to the African Union, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the United Nations Commission for Africa (UNECA) (2010-2013).
Her academic experience includes Executive Director, Research Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) (2008-2010); Executive Director, Africa Policy Institute (2006-2008); Adjunct Faculty Member, African Centre for Strategic Studies, National Defence University – Washington DC (since 2002); and Senior Researcher/Policy Analyst, Safer Africa (2002-2006).
Juma holds a PhD, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Oxford, United Kingdom (1998-2000), as well as a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Public Administration, University of Nairobi, Kenya (1991; 1987).
