Cleopa Kilonzo Mailu (born c. 1956) is a Kenyan politician. He served as the Kenyan Minister of Health.

Early life

Cleopa Kilonzo Mailu was born circa 1956. He attended schools in Kyulu and Kangundo until he went to

Friends School Kamusinga Friends School Kamusinga (FSK), popularly known as Kamu/Frischka, is a Kenyan Quaker national school established in 1956 and located in Kimilili, Bungoma County, Kenya. The school is located 400 kilometres from Kenya's capital city, Nairobi. It ...

. He graduated from the

University of Nairobi , mottoeng = In unity and work , image = Uon emblem.gif , image_size = 210px , caption = Coat of Arms of the University , type = Public , endowment ...

and earned a master's degree in medical genetics from the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

Career

Mailu started his career as an intern at the

Kenyatta National Hospital The Kenyatta National Hospital is the oldest hospital in Kenya. It is a public, tertiary, referral hospital for the Ministry of Health. It is also the teaching hospital of the University of Nairobi College of Health Sciences. It is the 2nd l ...

. Mailu was the founding director of its department of medical genetics in 1989. From 1995 to 2000, he worked for the Ministry of Health and led an anti-

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

campaign. Mailu subsequently worked for

Unicef UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

and the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

in Malawi and Zambia. Mailu became the first African CEO of

The Nairobi Hospital The Nairobi Hospital is a private hospital located in upperhill area, Nairobi, Kenya.The hospital was founded in 1954 as a European hospital. Location It is located along Argwings Kodhek Road, Upper Hill, Nairobi. The hospital is located approx ...

in 2003. On 2 August 2018, Mailu presented his credentials to the Director-General of the

United Nations Office at Geneva The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG, french: Office des Nations Unies à Genève) in Geneva, Switzerland, is one of the four major offices of the United Nations where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. The main UNOG ...

(UNOG) as the new

Permanent Representative A permanent representative is a diplomat who is the head of a country’s diplomatic mission to an international organisation. Organizations that receive permanent representatives from their member states include the United Nations, the World Tr ...

of Kenya to the UNOG. Mailu is Chairing the Meeting of State Parties (22-25 November 2021) of the

Biological Weapons Convention The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), or Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), is a disarmament treaty that effectively bans biological and toxin weapons by prohibiting their development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpil ...

in Geneva.

Personal life

Mailu has a wife, Teresa, and two sons.

References

Living people 1950s births University of Nairobi alumni Alumni of the University of Glasgow Alumni of Friends School Kamusinga Kenyan politicians Kenyan diplomats Ambassadors of Kenya Year of birth uncertain {{Kenya-bio-stub