Leadership Timeline

Records

Wangari Maathai

Kenyan environmentalist, scientist and politician who founded the Green Belt Movement and received the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.

FormerLatest source dated 2025-03-04Last reviewed 2026-10-26

What roles did Wangari Maathai hold, and when?

Roles in date order

  1. Goodwill Ambassador, Congo Basin Forest Initiative, Congo Basin Forest initiative Date uncertain

    Goodwill Ambassador to the Congo Basin Forest Initiative, as recorded by the AU Assembly; dates not stated in source.[1]

  2. UN Messenger of Peace (environment and climate), United Nations Date uncertain

    Recorded by the AU Assembly as 'UN Peace Messenger for Environment and Climate'; dates not stated in source.[1]

  3. 1976
    Chair, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Nairobi Date uncertain

    Head of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy; the Nobel biography describes her as the first woman in the region to hold the post. End date not stated.[2]

  4. 1977
    Associate Professor, University of Nairobi Date uncertain

    Associate professor of veterinary anatomy; end date not stated.[2]

  5. 1977 to 2011
    Founder, Green Belt Movement Former

    Founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977 under the auspices of the National Council of Women of Kenya, organising women to grow seedlings and plant trees.[3, 4, 5]

  6. 1981 to 1987
    Chairman, National Council of Women of Kenya Former

    Active member of the Council from 1976 to 1987 and its chairman from 1981 to 1987.[2]

  7. 1986
    Founder, Pan African Green Belt Network Date uncertain

    Established the Pan African Green Belt Network to share the Green Belt approach with people from other African countries.[2]

  8. 2002 to 2007
    Member of Parliament for Tetu, National Assembly of Kenya Former

    Elected for Tetu constituency in December 2002 (Ninth Parliament).[5, 2, 6]

  9. 2003-01 to 2005-11
    Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, Government of Kenya Date uncertain

    Assistant Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife in the Ninth Parliament; sources differ on the end date (2005 vs 2007).[2, 5, 6]

  10. 2005 to 2007
    Presiding Officer, Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union (AU-ECOSOCC) Former

    First Presiding Officer of the African Union's Economic, Social and Cultural Council.[5, 1]

  11. 2010 to 2011
    Trustee, Karura Forest Environmental Education Trust Former

    Trustee of the trust for Karura Forest, public land she had campaigned to protect.[5]

Sources

  1. Decision Recognizing the Life and Work of Wangari Muta Maathai - Doc. Assembly/AU/14(XVIII) Add.6African Union Assembly (via AfricanLII), 2012-01-30, primary source
  2. Wangari Maathai - BiographicalNobel Prize Outreach (nobelprize.org), primary source
  3. Who We AreGreen Belt Movement, primary source
  4. Who We Are (history)Green Belt Movement, primary source
  5. Wangari Maathai - BiographyGreen Belt Movement, primary source
  6. Tireless tree-hugger who uprooted mighty cartelsPeople Daily, 2025-03-04, secondary source

Change history

  • 2026-10-26 Record published.

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