Monica Kathina Juma, National Security Adviser to President William Ruto, has been appointed to two top positions at the United Nations.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced that Juma will serve as Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV).
She succeeds Ghada Fathi Waly as Director-General of UNOV. Meanwhile, John Brandolino, UNODC, Director of the Division for Treaty Affairs, will continue to serve in both positions until Juma officially assumes her roles.
“The Secretary-General also wishes to extend his appreciation to John Brandolino, Director of the Division for Treaty Affairs at UNODC, who will continue to serve as Acting Executive Director of UNODC and Acting Director-General of UNOV until Ms. Juma assumes her position”, Guterres said.
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.
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).
She was Ambassador Extraordinary 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) (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).
Ms. 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).
