Raychelle Awour Omamo (born July 1962) is a Kenyan
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
and an
advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...
of the High Court of Kenya.
Background and education
Omamo studied law at the
University of Kent
, motto_lang =
, mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...
at Canterbury,
UK. She is a Senior Counsel and an Advocate of the High Court for 27 years. She was the first female chairperson of the Law Society of Kenya from 2001 to 2003 after serving as a council member from 1996 to 2000 and Kenyan first female ambassador to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, The Holy See and Serbia as well as the Permanent Delegate of the Kenya to
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
. She was a member of the Task Force on the Establishment of
the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission for Kenya.
Career
She serves as the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Previously, she served as the Cabinet Secretary for Defence for 7 years in the
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 le ...
administration, the first female in the country to hold the post.
She is currently the Vice-President of the East African Law Society, Kenya’s Ambassad and Director Mo-Consulty Ltd.
References
Alumni of the University of Kent
20th-century Kenyan lawyers
Kenyan women lawyers
Ambassadors of Kenya to France
Ambassadors of Kenya to Portugal
Ambassadors of Kenya to the Holy See
Ambassadors of Kenya to Serbia
Foreign ministers of Kenya
Defense ministers of Kenya
Living people
Women government ministers of Kenya
Female defence ministers
21st-century Kenyan women politicians
21st-century Kenyan politicians
1952 births
Female foreign ministers
21st-century Kenyan lawyers
{{Kenya-politician-stub
She is a daughter to the late cabinet minister Hon. William Odongo Omamo.