Ambassador (Dr.) Monica Juma is the National Security Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kenya.
Before her appointment as National Security Advisor, Amb. (Dr.) Monica Juma served as Cabinet Secretary in five strategic Ministries of the Republic of Kenya, namely the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign affairs, and as Acting Mnistry in the docket of Petroleum and Mining. She also served as Principal Secretary in the security triad: Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs.
Dr. Juma came to the top Executive of Government from serving as Ambassador Extra-Ordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kenya to Ethiopia and Djibouti, and Permanent Representative of Kenya to the African Union, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and United Nations Commission for Africa (UNECA). Among the key efforts during this time was the engagement of Kenya as a key Troop Contributing country to the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
She joined government with a depth of experience in research and policy analysis accumulated from working for various continental and international think tanks, including the International Peace Academy, SaferAfrica, and the African Institute of South Africa. She also served in the United Nation’s Secretary General’s (UNSG) High Level Panel on Resourcing African Union led, UNSC mandated peacekeeping missions (otherwise known as the Prodi Report 2008), and consulted for many UN Agencies, the African Union and its agencies, in particular NEPAD on matters of security, peace, governance and development.
Dr. Juma is the patron of the Athena Mentorship programme which augments the professional competency of women and men in critical strategic leadership positions across all the areas of her expertise.
Amb (Dr.) Juma has strong academic credentials, having served as a lecturer in the Department of Government and Public Administration and as Research Director at the Centre for Refugee Studies, both at Moi University, Eldoret. She began her work experience as a Management Analyst in the Department of Personnel Management in the Office of the President, where she focused on organizational development within the public service.
Amb (Dr.) Monica Juma is well published in security and peace studies. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree and Master of Arts Degree in Government and Public Administration from the University of Nairobi; a Certificate of Refugee Studies and a Doctor of Philosophy in Politics from the University of Oxford.