This archive report was first published on 4 November 2019.
Ambassador Josephine Ojiambo's life has been a journey of globetrotting, public service, and dedication to her country. Born in the early 1960s, she was airlifted to the UK with her parents who were traveling on Commonwealth scholarships.
Her parents, Julia and her father, were among the first generation of public servants in Kenya. Her father became Kenya's first Cardiologist, and her mother the first woman leader to become a Cabinet Minister. Ambassador Ojiambo has followed in their footsteps, committing her life to public service.
She was appointed by President Mwai Kibaki to serve as Kenya's Ambassador to the United Nations in 2010. Prior to that, she worked with women leaders and Madam Gracia Machel to assist in unifying the country following post-election violence. She developed a social cohesion strategy during that period of political transition and proposed the formation of a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission.
Ambassador Ojiambo's background is in Public Health, initially from the University of Nairobi and then her Master's from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She has worked with organizations like UNICEF, the Aga Khan Foundation, and American Refugee Service, involved in Immunization campaigns including a campaign to eradicate polio.
She served as the Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat from 2015-2018 and was special advisor to the president and executive director of the Commonwealth Business Women's Association. Ambassador Ojiambo was recently inducted as Rotary International's representative to UNICEF and UNEP.
