Kenya Kiambu County, Kenya
Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL.B Hons Second class Upper Division) - University of Nairobi, Kenya. Advocates Training Program- Kenya School of Law. Certificate of Professional Mediation (CPM) - Dialogue and Dispute Resolution Institute(DDRI).
Previous experience
Mary is a Climate Justice and Socio-Economic Rights Advocate, deeply committed to advancing equitable and sustainable development across Africa. She is currently pursuing her LL.M specializing in Multidisciplinary Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, where she also serves as the Class Representative. She is a 2026 Mastercard Foundation Scholar, recognized among top-achieving leaders driving transformative change on the continent.
Mary holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B Hons) from the University of Nairobi, graduating with Second-Class Honors Upper Division (2.1). She has successfully completed the Advocates Training Program at the Kenya School of Law, attaining an outstanding 9 out of 9 passes, and is currently awaiting admission to the Bar as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
Mary’s passion for human rights and social justice began early. While still in high school, she was honored with a Presidential Award (Bronze Level) for outstanding leadership and community engagement, presented by the then President H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta in 2016.
Her work has since gained international recognition. She was nominated for the Global Citizen Prize 2024 and featured in a February 2025 editorial highlighting her impact in supporting over 10,000 small-scale farmers in Eastern Kenya and more than 2,500 students through agroecology-in-schools initiatives advancing food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture.
In 2024–2025, Mary served as Project Lead for the NOREC (Norwegian Agency for Exchange Cooperation) Youth Exchange Program between Kenya and Tanzania. As Team Lead and Program Coordinator, she designed and led a cross-border initiative between Haki Nawiri Afrika and Restless Development Tanzania. Based in Dar es Salaam in January 2025, she played a key role in shaping a fully funded exchange program set to run from January to August 2026, projected to impact over 500 youths from both countries and their communities.
Currently, she serves as legal intern at the Children’s Rights Unit at the Centre for Human Rights University of Pretoria, where she supports collaborative projects under the Global Campus for Human Rights, contributes to joint initiatives with the Women’s Rights Unit and engages in research and advocacy advancing children’s and women’s rights.
Her long-term goal is to leverage legal expertise, design thinking, policy analysis and community engagement to drive impactful, inclusive and sustainable change across the African continent as a Human Rights Advocate.
Academic fields of interest:
Climate Justice, Socio-Economic Rights, Public Policy and African Development.
Position prior to the programme
Prior to joining the programme, I held the role of Program Coordinator for Hungry for Action Youth Kenya under the SDG 2 Advocacy Hub, where I led youth engagement on food systems and policy advocacy. I also worked as a Youth Coordinator and grassroots advocate under Haki Nawiri Afrika advancing social justice and Youth empowerment through agroecology for climate resilience.