Meet The First Ever National Security Advisor of the Republic of Kenya

Meet The First Ever National Security Advisor of the Republic of Kenya

Ambassador Dr Monica Monica Juma hit the headlines after she was named by President William Samoei Ruto as the first ever National Security Advisor to the president following transition from the fourth to the fifth regime.

President William Ruto named Ambassador Dr Monica Juma during the unveiling of his Cabinet at State House Nairobi. Among those named was Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi and Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Mr Felix Koskei.

Ambassador Dr Monica Juma has progressed through her career holding different senior positions during the previous two regimes before being appointed as the National Security advisor by the fifth President, Dr. William Samoei Ruto.

Juma did her Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts at the University of Nairobi. She later did a certificate in Refugee studies at the Oxford University where she also obtained her PhD.

Before being appointed to head different state departments and ministries, Amb Dr Monica Juma served as an ambassador and envoy of Kenya to Ethiopia, Djibouti, African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECF).

The National Security Advisor is also a research fellow in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pretoria. She is also an adjunct faculty member at the African Centre for Strategic Studies at the National Defence University in Washington DC. Amb Dr. Monica Juma is also a renowned publisher in her area of specialization.

When retired President, Uhuru Kenyatta, was elected as the fourth President of the Republic of Kenya, he appointed Ambassador Dr Monica Juma as the Principal Secretary State Department of Defence where she served from 2013 to 2014 before being appointed as the Principal Secretary State Department of Interior in the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of Government.

Ambassador Dr Monica Juma served as the Principal Secretary State Department of Interior from 2014 to 2015, the most powerful State Department in the republic of Kenya.

In January 2016, she was appointed as the Principal Secretary State Department of Foreign Affairs where she served until February 2018 during retired President Uhuru Kenyatta second term.

After serving HE Uhuru Kenyatta as a Principal Secretary for close to six years, H.E Uhuru Kenyatta appointed Dr Monica Juma as the Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ambassador served as the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until 2020 when she was transferred to the Ministry of Defence where she had previously served as a Principal Secretary between 2013 and 2014.

During her tenure as the Cabinet Secretary for Defence, Amb Dr Monica Juma was nominated by H.E Uhuru Kenyatta for Commonwealth Secretary General Position. She however withdrew from the race citing inadequate backing from Commonwealth Countries.

In 2021 October, the former CS was transferred to the Ministry of Energy where she oversaw critical reforms in the energy sector including and not limited to reduction of electricity tariffs by 15% and renegotiation of power supply deals by independent power producers.

After serving for ten years in the Uhuru led administration Amb Dr Monica Juma is now sitting at the Cabinet level as the National Security Advisor to President William Ruto.