Name Lynne Wanyeki | ||
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Books Transitional Justice in Kenya: The Gender Question | ||
Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki (born 1972) is a Kenyan political scientist, human rights activist and the current Regional Director of Amnesty International in East Africa. Wanyeki is also the former Executive Director of the Kenya Human Rights Commission and former Executive Director of the African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET).
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Early life
Wanyeki was born in 1972 of a Canadian mother and Kenyan (Kikuyu) father, and grew up in Kenya. Her father died in 1990.
Education
Wanyeki holds BA in Political Science (international relations) and French (literature) from the University of New Brunswick and Simon Fraser University respectively. She also holds an MPA (cum laude) in public affairs from L’Institut d’études politiques in Paris and is currently pursuing her doctoral studies with the Department of Politics and International Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).
Career
One of her first jobs after returning to Kenya after college was development work in rural Ukambani. While in her early thirties she succeeded Njoki Wainaina as executive director of FEMNET. At first she viewed her role as an administrator in an organization dominated by a board of conservative older women. Later she found that her position gave her credibility as a highly sought-after speaker on human rights, gender equity and development. She also started writing a weekly column in the East African newspaper.
In 2007, Wanyeki was appointed as the Executive Director of the Kenya Human Rights Commission, a post she held until June 2011. Appointed during the political crisis in early 2008, she received death threats due to statements she had made about the elections, describing her as a traitor to the Kikuyu people. As of 2011 she was a member of the International Advisory Network for the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. She is currently a member of the board of the Open Society Justice Initiative.