HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Amina Chawahir Mohamed Jibril ( so, Aamina Maxamed Jibriil; ar, أمينة محمد جبريل), born 5 October 1961, is a former Kenyan cabinet secretary, lawyer and a diplomat of Somali descent. She is the immediate former Cabinet Secretary fo
Sports, Heritage and Culture in Kenya
She previously served as chairwoman of the
International Organization for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. The IOM wa ...
and the World Trade Organization's General Council, as well as Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of the
United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...
. She served as the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Kenya from May 2013 to February 2018, when President
Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition l ...
, after re-election, moved her to the Education docket. In March 2019, she was moved to the Sports Ministry replacing Rashid Echesa. The KNEC Director, George Magoha replaced her in the Education docket.


Early life and education

Mohamed was born on 5 October 1961 in
Kakamega Kakamega is a town in western Kenya lying about 30 km north of the Equator. It is the headquarters of Kakamega County that has a population of 1,867,579 (2019 census). Kakamega is 52 km north of Kisumu, the tenth largest city in K ...
, Kenya, to an ethnic Somali family. She is the eighth of nine siblings. Her family belongs to the Dhulbahante
Harti Harti ( so, Harti, ar, هرتي), meaning "strong man", is a Somali clan family that is part of the Darod clan. The major sub-clans include the Majeerteen, Dhulbahante, Warsangali, Tinle, Maganlabe and Dishiishe, while other minor sub-cl ...
Darod clan, and hails from the Sool region in Somalia. Mohamed spent her childhood in a modest household in Amalemba,
Kakamega Kakamega is a town in western Kenya lying about 30 km north of the Equator. It is the headquarters of Kakamega County that has a population of 1,867,579 (2019 census). Kakamega is 52 km north of Kisumu, the tenth largest city in K ...
, where she passed much of her time reading Sherlock Holmes stories and other detective fiction. She later developed a taste for international affairs. For her elementary studies, Mohamed attended the Township Primary School in Kakamega and later Butere Girls and Highlands Academy. Her mother believed strongly in the importance of education, and would frequently drop by her classes to monitor her performance. Upon graduation, Mohamed moved to Ukraine on a scholarship to study at the
University of Kiev Kyiv University or Shevchenko University or officially the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv ( uk, Київський національний університет імені Тараса Шевченка), colloquially known as KNU ...
. She completed the institution's courses, earning a
Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
(LLM) in
international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
. Mohamed later obtained a postgraduate diploma (PGDip) in international relations from the University of Oxford. Through a Fellowship at the
United Nations Institute for Training and Research The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a dedicated training arm of the United Nations system. UNITAR provides training and capacity development activities to assist mainly developing countries with special attention ...
(UNITAR), she also followed several training courses on international law. In 2002, Amina married Khalid Ahmed, a fellow Somali to whom she credits a lot of her success. The couple have two children and also care for four orphans. Mohamed is multilingual, speaking her native Somali as well as
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
,
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries * Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and p ...
and Swahili, with a working knowledge of
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
.


Career


Legal advisor roles

Mohamed began her career in 1985 as a legal officer at the Kenyan Ministry of Local Government. Her duties included assessing World Bank projects and tabling municipal by-laws. Between 1986 and 1990, Mohamed served as a Legal Advisor in Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she drafted and negotiated various bilateral and international treaties. Among these were Bilateral Air Services Agreements with the United Arab Emirates,
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
, Iran and the United Kingdom, as well as the African Convention on the Rights of the Child. Although a number of job opportunities overseas were available, Mohamed chose to remain with her parents as her father was ailing. From 1990 to 1993, Mohamed acted as a Legal Advisor to Kenya's mission at the UN head office in Geneva, Switzerland. There, she worked alongside officials from the
International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...
, World Health Organization and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/ World Trade Organization. She took a brief sabbatical to pursue higher studies in the UK, before returning to diplomatic service in Geneva. In 1997, Mohamed began serving as Legal Advisor to the Kenyan delegation at the UN Security Council.


Roles in Kenya and with the UN

Between 2000 and 2006, Mohamed worked as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative for the Kenya diplomatic mission in Geneva. She was also the chairperson, coordinator and spokesperson for the African Group in the WTO's Human Rights Commission. In 2002, Mohamed acted as president of the
Conference on Disarmament The Conference on Disarmament (CD) is a multilateral disarmament forum established by the international community to negotiate arms control and disarmament agreements based at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The Conference meets annually in ...
and was appointed the first female chairperson of the
International Organization for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. The IOM wa ...
. At the time, Kenya was the only African country included in the organization. When approached for the chairmanship, Mohamed agreed to accept the candidacy only if the organization opened up to more African countries. She chaired the Trade Policy Review Body in 2003, and served as the chairman of the
Dispute Settlement Body The Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) makes decisions on trade disputes between governments that are adjudicated by the Organization. Its decisions generally match those of the Dispute Panel. Institutional stru ...
in 2004. In 2005, Mohamed became the first woman to chair the WTO's General Council. She was also a Member of the Executive Boards and Committees of the WIPO, ILO, WHO, UNCTAD, UNHCR and UNAIDS from 2001 to 2005. Between 2006 and 2007, Mohamed acted as Director for both Europe and Commonwealth Countries as well as Diaspora matters for Kenya. She also chaired the Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Affairs' Committee on Strengthening and Restructuring.


Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and the UN

She was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs of Kenya from 2008 to 2011. In that role, in 2010 she supervised the redraft of the
Constitution of Kenya The Constitution of Kenya is the supreme lawof the Republic of Kenya. There have been three significant versions of the constitution, with the most recent redraft being enabled in 2010. The 2010 edition replaced the 1963 independence constitut ...
. During the 2010–2011 calendar year, Mohamed served as the president of the United Nations Conference on Transnational Crime in Vienna. In July 2011, Mohamed was named Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of the
United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...
(UNEP).


Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs

On 23 April 2013, Mohamed was appointed Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, one of 18 Cabinet Secretary nominees to the new
Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition l ...
administration. She was later sworn into office on 20 May 2013 at Sagana State lodge. According to the ''
Business Daily Africa ''Business Daily Africa'', commonly known as ''Business Daily'', is an English-language daily business newspaper published in Kenya. The newspaper is published by Nation Media Group from its headquarters at Nation Centre on Kimathi Street in Nair ...
'' publication, "Kenya’s vigorous lobbying and aggressive
pan-Africanism Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...
agenda gained momentum with the collapse of International and Criminal Court (ICC) cases against Mr
Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti- colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was the country's first indigenous ...
and Mr Ruto partly because attributed to Ms Mohamed’s skillful diplomatic maneuvers." The same publication reported that Mohamed by late 2016 had "come under heavy criticism for remaining tight-lipped over the suffering of Kenyan detainees in Ethiopia.” Also, in December 2016 she stated that Kenya supported “
Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic Sahrawi or Saharawi (also transliterated into Spanish as or French as ), is an Arabic term meaning 'from the Sahara', or more specifically the Western Sahara. It can also mean 'from the desert' in general. Sahrawi may also refer to: People *the ...
's quest for self-rule and its membership of the
African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...
,” which proved controversial with Morocco and other Arab states. She is currently the chairwoman of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference.


Africa Union Commission Chair Campaign

In 2017, Mohamed was nominated by Kenyan president,
Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition l ...
, to be chair of the
African Union Commission The Commission of the African Union acts as the executive/administrative branch or secretariat of the African Union (and is somewhat analogous to the European Commission). It consists of a number of Commissioners dealing with different areas of ...
(AUC). Despite lobbying for the role from the Kenyan government, Mohamed lost the position to the foreign affairs minister of Chad. Uganda afterwards denied reports in February that it had failed to support Mohamed in her bid for AUC chair, stating that "Uganda wishes to state categorically that our support to the candidature of Amina before and during elections was unequivocal... Uganda wishes to reassure the government and the people of Kenya, and Amina in particular, that we remain a reliable ally and partner given our warm and close relations and our commitment to the EAC integration". The ''
Daily Nation The ''Daily Nation'' is the highest circulation Kenyan independent newspaper with 170,000 copies. History The ''Daily Nation'' was started in the year 1958 as a Swahili weekly called ''Taifa'' by the Englishman Charles Hayes. It was bough ...
'' stated that Burundi and Djibouti were also suspected of withdrawing support, with Tanzania denying it had done so.


Other activities

In late April 2017, she had a series of meetings with US officials such as Senator
Bob Corker Robert Phillips Corker Jr. (born August 24, 1952) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Chair of the Senate Foreign Rel ...
, Tom Shannon, and Constance Hamilton, where she urged the US to continue to interact with Kenya for the benefit of both nations. On 9 May 2017, she was honored by the Japanese government at the Imperial Palace for "promoting economic relations between Nairobi and Tokyo". She was the only African personally invested at the event with the award, the
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight f ...
. At the time, CNBC wrote that Mohamed was "known as an excellent strategist with proven negotiation and managerial skills". On 20 May 2017, it was reported that Mohamed had met with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 2 ...
, afterwards stating that she felt the meetings signaled possible renewed engagements between Kenya and
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
.


Cabinet Secretary for Education

On 26 January 2018, President
Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti- colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was the country's first indigenous ...
appointed Amina Mohammed to be the Education Cabinet Secretary for his second term. She pledged to continue with the reforms initiated by her predecessor Dr. Fred Matiang'i. Her
Principal Secretary The Principal Secretary is a senior government official in various Commonwealth countries. * Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Pakistan * Principal Secretary to the President of Pakistan * Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Ind ...
Ambassador Monica Juma was promoted to head the Foreign Affairs docket. At the Education Ministry, Amina Mohammed was lauded for the administration of the 2018 national examinations. She also achieved a 93% transition of pupils finishing primary school to join high school – the highest in Kenyan history at the time. She also devised and implemented a Special Needs Education policy and restructured the Higher Education Loans Board, which provides student loans in Kenya. Her reforms in the Vocational Training Centres increased enrollment in vocational training by 100%. She also completed and piloted the Competency-Based Curriculum. However, her decision to delay the implementation of the Curriculum in 2019 proved controversial and she reversed herself on it after a dress-down from President Uhuru Kenyatta. Her decision to lower the entry grade to teacher training colleges to a D was also overturned by the Kenyan High Court. These decisions are thought to have contributed to her being moved to the Sports, Heritage and Culture Ministry in March 2019.


Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Heritage and Culture

In March 2019, President Kenyatta appointed Amina Mohamed to be the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Heritage and Culture, replacing the fired Rashid Echesa. She has called for more resource allocation to the Sports Ministry.


Nomination for Director-General of the WTO

On 7 July 2020, Mohamed was nominated by Kenya for the position of WTO Director-General. She proceeded to the second round of the selection process, and was long seen as a frontrunner in diplomatic circles. By October 2020, the WTO's General Council selected two finalists – Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and
Yoo Myung-hee Yoo Myung-hee (, born 5 June 1967) was the Minister for Trade of South Korea. She was the first woman to hold the position. Over the past 25 years, she worked in various government agencies since she passed the Korean state civil servant exam ...
–, thereby eliminating Mohamed and two other candidates.


Other activities

* International Olympic Committee (IOC), Member of the Ethics Commission


Honors

Honors received by Mohamed include: *Elder of the
Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya Order of the Golden Heart of the Republic of Kenya is the highest award in Kenya, and is split into three classes: Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart (C.G.H.), Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (E.G.H.) and Moran of the Order of the Golde ...
(EGH) *Chief of the
Order of the Burning Spear Orders, decorations, and medals of Kenya are awarded by the President of Kenya "in recognition of outstanding or distinguished services rendered to the nation in various capacities and responsibilities". Awards are made by the president upon the ...
(CBS) *Knight of the
Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity The Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity ( it, Stella della solidarietà italiana ) was founded as a national order by the first President of the Italian Republic, Enrico De Nicola, in 1947, to recognise civilian and military expatriates or ...
(Cav.O.S.S.I.) *Life Member of the
Red Cross Society The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world's largest group of non-governmental organizations working on humanitarian aid, is composed of the following bodies: *The ''International Committee of the Red Cross'' (ICRC), a comm ...
*Member of the Life and Peace Institute International Advisory Council *Honorary Doctorate from KCA University *Member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Arctic *
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight f ...
(2017) *Member of the Strathmore Law School Advisory Board


Personal life

In 2002, Amina married Khalid Ahmed. The couple have two biological and four adopted children. Khalid Hossain Ahmed, the husband of Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, died on Thursday morning, 29 July 2021 at a Nairobi hospital after a short illness.


See also

*
List of foreign ministers in 2017 This is a list of foreign ministers in 2017. Africa * *#Ramtane Lamamra (2013–2017) *# Abdelkader Messahel (2017–2019) * - *# Georges Rebelo Chicoti (2010–2017) *# Manuel Domingos Augusto (2017–2020) * - Aurélien Agbénonci (2016–pr ...
*
List of current foreign ministers This is a list of current foreign ministers of the 193 United Nations member states as well as the Holy See (Vatican City) and the State of Palestine. Foreign ministers of sovereign countries with limited recognition, some alternative governmen ...
* Foreign relations of Kenya


References

https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/amp/national/article/2001419486/sports-cs-amina-mohameds-husband-dies


External links


Amina Mohamed Jibril – Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohamed, Amina 1961 births 21st-century Kenyan women politicians 21st-century Kenyan politicians Alumni of the University of Oxford Ethnic Somali people Female foreign ministers Foreign ministers of Kenya Government ministers of Kenya Living people 20th-century Kenyan lawyers Kenyan women lawyers Kenyan Muslims Kenyan people of Somali descent Kenya School of Law alumni Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv alumni Kenyan officials of the United Nations People from Kakamega 21st-century Kenyan lawyers Chevening Scholars