President William Ruto with Monica K. Juma, Executive Director of UNODC and Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna, at United Nations headquarters, New York./PCS
President William Ruto with Monica K. Juma, Executive Director of UNODC and Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna, at United Nations headquarters, New York./PCS
President William Ruto has met Kenya's Monica Juma of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Ruto held the meeting with Juma, who also serves as Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna.
Juma previously served as the National Security Adviser to the President of Kenya and Secretary to the National Security Council, a role she has held since 2022.
Her career in public service spans strategic Cabinet positions, including the Ministry of Energy (2021-2022), the Ministry of Defence (2020-2021), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2018-2020), and as Acting Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining in 2022.
She also served as principal secretary in several ministries, including Foreign Affairs (2016-2018), Interior and Coordination of National Government (2014-2016), and Defence (2013-2014).
Her diplomatic assignments include serving as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kenya to Ethiopia and Djibouti, as well as Permanent Representative to the African Union, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) between 2010 and 2013.
President William Ruto with Monica K. Juma, Executive Director of UNODC and Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna, at United Nations headquarters, New York./PCS
President William Ruto with Monica K. Juma, Executive Director of UNODC and Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna and her delegation, at United Nations headquarters, New York./PCS
The meeting took place at the UN headquarters in New York.
The meeting comes as President Ruto is in New York for engagements at the United Nations headquarters.
President William Ruto with Monica K. Juma, Executive Director of UNODC and Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna and her delegation, at United Nations headquarters, New York./PCS
Monica Juma officially assumed her new role as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) after taking her oath of office before UN Secretary-General António Guterres earlier this year.
The United Nations Office at Vienna serves as one of the UN's major duty stations, while UNODC works on issues related to crime, justice and international security.
Juma’s academic background is equally distinguished. She holds a PhD from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, earned between 1998 and 2000, and both a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Government and Public Administration from the University of Nairobi, obtained in 1991 and 1987, respectively.
She has also contributed to research and policy development as Executive Director at the Research Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) from 2008 to 2010, and at the Africa Policy Institute from 2006 to 2008.
She has taught as an Adjunct Faculty Member at the African Centre for Strategic Studies, National Defence University in Washington DC since 2002, and worked as a Senior Researcher and Policy Analyst at Safer Africa between 2002 and 2006.
Fluent in English, Kiswahili, and Kamba, Juma is known for her strategic approach to leadership. Her appointment to UNODC and UNOV places her at the helm of critical global initiatives addressing drugs, crime, and international security.
