Our Team in Kenya

Sandra Macharia is the Director of the United Nations Information Service in Nairobi, covering Kenya, the Seychelles and Uganda. She assumed her new duties on 10 July.

Ms. Macharia has over 20 years of experience in strategic and crisis communications, as well as policy and programme development. She is currently serving as Chief of the Africa Section and Editor-in-Chief of Africa Renewal in the United Nations Department of Global Communications. In addition, she previously held several positions with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) including Deputy Communications Director ad interim, Regional Communications Adviser for Africa, Special Assistant to Assistant Secretaries-General, and Communications Officer, serving in different locations including New York, Addis Ababa and Nairobi.

Prior to the United Nations, she worked as a producer, reporter and news anchor for news outlets including Reuters, BBC World Service, Nation TV/Nation Media Group and Kenya Television Network.

Ms. Macharia holds a master’s degree in media, peace and conflict studies from the Universidad para la Paz, as well as a bachelor’s degree in journalism, film and broadcasting, and a postgraduate diploma in broadcasting from Cardiff University

Rainer has served as Director of UNOPS Kenya Multi Country office (KMCO) since 2014 and was previously Adviser for Risk Reduction and Recovery in UNOPS Head Quarters in Copenhagen. He first worked with the UN in Sri Lanka, going on to other agencies in conflict, disaster and emergency operations in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Haiti, Maldives, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan. He is a Magister Juris/LLM from the Universities of Salzburg and Vienna and a Master’s in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London.

Before joining UNISDR Regional Office for Africa, Mr. Abbashar headed the organization’s Regional Office for Arab States in Cairo, Egypt. Mr Abbashar began his United Nations career as a Programme Officer with the UNDP Emergency Unit in Sudan dealing with Operation Lifeline Sudan in the early 1990’s. Later he became Field Coordinator in the Department of Humanitarian Affairs during the Liberian war after which he was assigned as Deputy Head of OCHA in Sierra Leone. He joined OCHA’s headquarters in New York in 2000 as a Humanitarian Affairs Officer focusing on inter-governmental matters related to the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council.

Mr. Anders Thomsen has more than 25 years of experience in Development and Humanitarian Assistance, with a commitment to promoting Human Rights, Reproductive Health, and Poverty Reduction. He is the UNFPA Representative to Kenya from April 2022. Prior to his appointment to Kenya, he served for three years as UNFPA Representative to Somalia and five years as the UNFPA Representative to Palestine. He focused on addressing humanitarian and development challenges related to population dynamics, youth, reproductive health, and combatting gender-based violence. Preceding that, Mr. Anders Thomsen was the UNFPA Deputy Representative for India and Bhutan.

Prior to his assignment in India, he worked at UNDP’s Multi-Donor Trust Fund Office, where he was Senior Portfolio Manager for the 700 million-dollar MDG Achievement Fund. At the same time, he led the development of a new system for the administration of Multi-Donor and Multi-Agency Trust Funds in the UN system. He has previously served as Resource Mobilization Specialist for UNFPA and as Programme Specialist in the Asia Pacific Division, where he covered South-East Asia during the Indian Ocean Tsunami crisis. Before joining UNFPA he spent six years with UNOPS both at Headquarters and in Eastern/Southern Africa where he focused on nationally implemented loans and grants from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Earlier, Mr. Thomsen worked for several companies in the Private Sector. Mr. Thomsen has been stationed in various countries across three continents: Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

He holds a double major in International Development Studies and Business Administration. He is a national of Denmark.

Anna Mutavati is a human rights and social development expert with 20 years of experience in leadership and management, human rights, and gender equality programming. A lawyer by profession, Anna holds a Masters’ Degree in Women’s Law from the Southern and Eastern Regional Centre for Women’s Law (SEARCWL), University of Zimbabwe and a Degree in Law from the University of Zimbabwe. Prior to joining UN Women in Kenya, Anna was Deputy Representative and Head of Programmes at UN Women in Uganda for five years.

Mr. Anthony Ngororano, is the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kenya from 11th July 2022.

Prior to this appointment, he held various positions. He has served as the UNDP Resident Representative in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (from May 2019), Chief, Executive Board Branch in the Office Executive Director, at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in New York, USA (from January 2018), Country Representative, UN Women in Haiti (2015-2018), Country Representative a.i. in Malawi and Chief, Africa Section at UN Women in New York, USA (2013-2015), Senior Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister of Rwanda at the rank of Permanent Secretary (2011- 2013), Country Programme Adviser with UNDP in the Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA) in New York (2009 -2011).

In his career, Anthony has led teams and held a range of policy and programme roles with UNDP in Nigeria, Zambia, and Rwanda (from 2004). He began his career as an Economist with Uganda’s Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and later as the Regional Management Associate with Citigroup in Kenya and Tanzania.
Anthony holds Masters's degrees in Development Economics and International Relations from the University of East Anglia and the University of Sussex respectively. He also has an MA (Honours) degree in Economics from the University of Edinburgh.

Caroline van Buren took up her function as UNHCR Kenya Representative in April 2022. Ms. van Buren joined UNHCR in 1993 in Geneva, Switzerland. Most recently, she held the position of UNHCR Representative in Afghanistan, and prior to that, UNHCR Representative in Somalia. She has also held various other positions with UNHCR in the USA (Washington), Bosnia, Liberia, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Hungary and Slovenia.

In 1998 and from 2004 to 2009, Ms. van Buren was on loan from UNHCR to the United Nations Department of Peace Keeping Operations in Sierra Leone and in Liberia, where she worked in the Rule of Law Division.

Ms. van Buren holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley (1988) and a Juris Doctor Degree from Boston University School of Law (1991). She is a national of Suriname and is married to Joseph F. Brent.

Capt. Muli joined the IMO from Maritime Administration in Kenya where his last appointment was the head of maritime safety. He previously served the disciplined forces where he served in different capacities, including as command of the Kenya Navy Ships. Capt. Muli holds a Master’s Degree in Maritime Transport from the World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden and he is a holder of Master Mariner Certificate of Competency.

Dr. Rose Mwebaza brings over 25 years’ experience to the Position of Director and Regional Representative for Africa in UNEP.
Prior to taking on her current position, she served as the Director and Advisory Board Secretary of the United Nations Climate Technology Centre & Network (CTCN), the implementation arm of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Technology Mechanism.
Rose was a lecturer at Makerere University between 1997 and 2008 where she also served as the Head of Department for Commercial Law, and Deputy Dean of the Law School. She then served as the Regional Policy Adviser for Eastern and Southern Africa on Climate Change in the Environment and Energy Group, at the United Nations Development Programme Bureau for Development Policy. She later served as Programme Manager for UNDP’s regional office for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where she was also designated as Advisor to the Chairperson of the African Union and Advisor to the Committee of Heads of State and Government on Climate Change. Rose then joined the banking sector and served as Chief Natural Resources Officer at the African Development Bank in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Rose holds a Ph.D. in Environment and Natural Resource Governance from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; a master’s degree in international Comparative Law (With a Certificate of Academic Excellence) from the University of Florida, U.S.A, and a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL. B, Hons.) from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. She is a Carl Duisburg Research fellow at the World Conservation Union (IUCN), a member of the UN Master Minds, a Member of the Association of Environmental Law Lecturers in Africa, and a founding member of the Network for African Women Environmentalists.

Ms. Landis has spent her career working in the field of relief and development. She began in 1985 working for OCHA (then UNDRO) in Geneva, Switzerland. She then took on assignments in Washington and in Africa working as a Disaster Operations Specialist and as an Emergency Operations Coordinator for the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance within the Agency for International Development. From 1993 to 1995, she worked for InterAction, a coalition of U.S. based NGOs, as a Programme Officer. In 1995, Ms. Landis moved to Save the Children where she served for the next seven years in various assignments including Director of Humanitarian Response, and Director of the Food Security Unit.
In 2002, she took up the position of Director of the Office of Food for Peace within the U.S. Agency for International Development. Subsequently, Ms. Landis transitioned to the U.S. Department of State in 2006, where she served as the Senior Representative on Sudan.

Her returning to the UN in 2009, Ms. Landis served in Rome, Italy, for three years as Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of the Executive Director for the World Food Programme. She became the Director of the World Food Programme Geneva Office, from 2011 until 2013. From 2013 to 2016, Ms. Landis served as the WFP Country Representative and Director in Chad. In mid-2016, she returned to Rome, Italy to take up an appointment as WFP’s Director of Nutrition. In March 2020, Ms. Landis was appointed Representative and Country Director for the WFP Kenya Country Office. She arrived in Nairobi on 30 August 2020.

Mariatu Kamara is an International development professional with over 18 years of experience that spans United Nations, International Financial Institutions and Civil Society in conflict and post conflict Countries. She is a skilled negotiator and a driver of institutional reforms, organizational restructuring, with result in achieving efficiency gains and leading successful policy reforms. Mariatu has extensive experience in the execution of country strategies, programme/project development and management, partnerships building, resource mobilization, policy leadership and institutional management for rural and agricultural transformation. Prior to her joining International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), she served as Head of a Sub office with the World Food Programme (WFP) in Sierra Leone, coordinating relief, recovery and development activities from 2001 to 2005. She also served as a project Manager for the Recovery and Crisis Prevention unit with UNDP in Sudan from 2005 to 2011. In 2012, she served with a Non-Governmental Organization – CAFOD as the Programme Manager for Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Mariatu holds a Master’s Degree in Rural Development from Njala University, University of Sierra Leone.

Mark Majodina, the World Meteorological Organization Representative for Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA), took office on 1st September 2017. Prior to his appointment as the WMO Representative for Eastern and Southern Africa, Mr. Majodina served in the South African Weather Service for over 19 years in different capacities. He has also previously served in the Secretariat of the Meteorological Association of Southern Africa (MASA) and several technical committees of the WMO and its Executive Council. He also served as the Head of the WMO International Relations Advisers for the African region (RA1). Mr. Majodina graduated from the University of Pretoria with a Master of Science degree in Project Management. He also holds bachelor’s and Master of Science degrees in Ocean & Atmosphere Science from the University of Cape Town.

Prior to her appointment to in Kenya, Dr. Tsehaiu served for five years in the same position in Zambia and for three years in South Sudan. She has also served as Chief of Staff at the Federal Ministry of Health in Ethiopia, her country of birth. Medhin's professional career spans across research, academia, public health, management and development. She graduated with a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary.

Mr. Walsh is UNODC’s Regional Representative to Eastern Africa (ROEA). He is Head of Mission for 13 countries in the East Africa and Western Indian Ocean Region. He and his staff deliver UNODC’s Strategic Vision for Africa's response to crime, terrorism, security and health threats. Prior to joining UNODC ROEA, Neil led UNODC's global Cybercrime, Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism Department in Vienna. He has also served in the UK National Crime Agency countering international serious organised crime and terrorism including postings to Europol HQ in The Hague and the British High Commission in Malta. Neil comes from Belfast, Northern Ireland and holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology & Criminology and an M.Sc. in Criminal Investigation.

Oumar Sylla is the acting Director Regional Office for Africa (ROAf), UN-Habitat. He has more than 20 years of academic and practical experience in land, natural resources, conflict resolution, urban development, regional cooperation and partnership. Prior to his recent assignment, Oumar was coordinator of the Urban Legislation, Land and Governance Branch within UN-Habitat, leading and coordinating efforts steered towards improving tenure security for vulnerable persons through the expansion of Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) work at the country level, advocating for wider incorporation of land governance in the overall SDGs agenda towards bridging the gap between rural and urban land nexus, and to building strong partnership on land governance. The Land and GLTN Unit also supports land administration and policy development tools implementation at country level.
Mr Sylla also previously served as a Senior Human Settlement Advisor (SHSA) in ROAf with the multiple roles that included overseeing the agency’s cooperation with African francophone countries and focal point for the African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD). He also coordinated a regional program to strengthen the capacity of member states in the Great Lakes Region on land and property issues related to displaced persons in support to the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) secretariat and to the Peace and Stability Framework for the Great Lakes Region.
Correspondingly, prior to his appointment as SHSA, he was appointed as UN-Habitat’s Chief Technical Advisor for the Republic Democratic of Congo to support peace and reconstruction; to support land reform process and to develop relevant expertise in the country in line with the agency’s mandate. He has also supported land reform processes in many countries in Africa in Mali, Burundi, DR Congo, Senegal, Republic of Congo and Central Africa Republic. Oumar also worked within the European Union framework as a Land Policy Advisor in South Sudan and Burkina Faso, and he operated a Researcher Fellow in the Laboratory of Legal Anthropology in Paris 1 Sorbonne, with a focus on land and decentralization policies in West Africa. A Senegalese National, Oumar holds an undergraduate degree in Local Government from Saint Louis University (Senegal), and two Masters ‘degrees in African Legal Studies and Legal Anthropology (with a focus on land and natural resources), and in Territorial Project Management from the prestigious Paris 1 Sorbonne and Paris 13 Creteil in France respectively.

Shaheen Nilofer is the UNICEF Representative to Kenya. She has over 30 years of experience in the development sector at senior leadership positions. This includes building large social sector development and humanitarian programmes for non-profit organizations, bi-laterals and Governments in the backdrop of under-development and post-conflict environments.

Prior to joining UNICEF Kenya, Ms Nilofer served as UNICEF Representative to Eritrea (2019-22), UNICEF Representative to Turkmenistan (2016-19) and UNICEF Representative to Bhutan (2012-16). She also served as UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Chhattisgarh (Central India) for over five years.

Prior to joining UNICEF India, Ms Nilofer served in Oxfam GB, India and later in South Asia from 1993-2008 in various capacities including South Asia Regional Programme Quality Coordinator. She served as Oxfam’s Regional Representative, in East and South India region and later as India Country Humanitarian Programme Manager. She was responsible for programme strategy development and implementation, leveraging and resource management and management of human resources besides humanitarian response planning and management.

Ms Nilofer is an Indian national. She holds a Doctorate in Gender Studies and a Master’s degree in Sociology. She is fluent in English, Hindi and Urdu and is able to read and speak basic Arabic.

Sharon Dimanche assumed her role as the Chief of Mission of IOM Kenya from November 2019.

With a career spanning over 16 years, Sharon has led several IOM offices and operations to help address both short and long-term migration management challenges. She has worked with multiple IOM missions where she addressed irregular migration challenges, partnered with Governments for the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration, provided strategic direction in labor Migration and border management and led donor liaison and resource mobilization efforts in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Ethiopia, and Uganda.

Prior to joining IOM Kenya, Sharon held the position of the Deputy Chief of Mission (Development) at IOM Bangladesh. She also chaired the UN Migration Network in Bangladesh.

Ms. Dimanche holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies (MAIRDS) and a Bachelor of Laws, LLB, (Hons), from Makerere University.

Ms. Tally Einav has more than 15 years of experience in development and international organizations. She is passionate about the promise of inclusive and sustainable industrial development to countries well-being and the achievement of the global Agenda 2030. Starting in UNIDO in 2009, she worked in both technical cooperation and management of the organization. Among her other roles over the years, she led on UNIDO’s inquiry of its normative role as well on the coordination of the African Agribusiness and Agro-industries Development Initiative (3ADI) in UNIDO. She worked at the Executive Office of the Deputy to the Director General for many years and before moving to Kenya she worked in the External Relations leading on dialogues with Member States. She also served as the focal point for UNIDO’s work with civil societies.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Development and certification in Sustainable Development. She also holds degrees in Political Science and Communications.

Ms. Bunbury is the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism’s Regional Programme Coordinator for East Africa, and the Head of Office ad interim. She brings with her over 15 years of experience in development, humanitarian and stabilization programme management and policy leadership, the majority of which with the United Nations (UN) in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Prior to this assignment, Ms. Bunbury served over 10 years supporting peacekeeping, stabilization and rule of law initiatives with the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) within the Department of Peace Operations, where her last assignment was to Mali as the Deputy Programme Manager for UNMAS; she was also assigned to UN Headquarters in New York, and Somalia. Outside of the UN, Ms. Bunbury also worked with Global Affairs Canada, leading a team responsible for coordinating Canada’s international response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as with Handicap International, Mines Action Canada, and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Ms. Bunbury holds a master’s in conflict studies from the Open University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, and a B.A. in international relations from York University in Toronto, Canada.

Thomas Chiramba is currently a Senior Human Settlements Officer in the Regional Office for Africa of UN Habitat responsible for 12 Eastern and Southern African Countries. He holds a PhD in civil engineering and a master’s degree in architecture and has over 30 years of professional experience in urban development and management. He has previously worked for the City of Kwekwe in Zimbabwe as City Engineer before assuming advisory positions with USAID and GIZ of national urban development programmes in Zimbabwe and Namibia. He has also worked for UNDP and UNEP.

Mr. Chibebe was appointed the Country Director for ILO Office for Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi in 2018. Prior to that, he was Deputy Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). His has been a steady growth, including working as apprentice fitter, then as mechanical engineering technician and on to become Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of South Africa.