Born in 1931 in Gatuyaini (Kenya), Mwai Kibaki was the third President of Kenya, serving from December 2002 to April 2013. He previously served as a Vice-President of Kenya (1978-1988), and has held several other cabinet positions, including Minister for Finance (1978-1981), Minister for Home Affairs (1982-1988) and Minister for Health (1988-1991). 

In his capacity as President of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki initiated several reforms including free primary education for all children in Kenya (2003), and the revitalization of the healthcare system, among others. He also spearheaded economic changes aimed at fostering the growth and development of Kenya. Since 2013, Mwai Kibaki has established the Mwai Kibaki Institute, which caters for several programmes including Water Diplomacy, Green Energy, Coffee Revitalization and many other development projects and activities. Mwai Kibaki is also the Patron of the Millennium Water Alliance, a multi-donor-funded initiative that seeks to make potable drinking water accessible to communities that are under threat of water security and scarcity.  

On 5 April 2016, Mwai Kibaki was designated as a UNESCO Special Envoy for Water in Africa in recognition of the former President’s efforts to highlight education as an important tool for the success of water-related projects and activities, promote water management in a sustainable manner, support initiatives aiming to make potable drinking water accessible to communities, notably in his capacity as a Patron of the Millenium Water Alliance.  

In his capacity as a UNESCO Special Envoy for Water in Africa, Mwai Kibaki lends his support to UNESCO in mobilizing the international community, Heads of State and Government, as well as civil society actors to recognize the importance of sustainable water resources management in Africa.