Kenya is marking 15 years since the death of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, who died on September 25, 2011, at the age of 71.
Maathai was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, receiving the award in 2004 for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.
She founded the Green Belt Movement, which mobilised communities across Africa to plant millions of trees while championing environmental conservation and women’s rights.
She was also a political leader. Maathai was elected as an MP in 2002 and later served as an assistant minister for Environment and Natural Resources.
Her activism often put her at odds with the government, particularly during the campaigns against forest destruction and land grabbing in the 1980s and 1990s.
The late Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai PHOTO/New York Times
She was arrested and attacked several times because of her activism. In 2008, she was among protesters who were tear-gassed during demonstrations over plans to expand the Kenyan Cabinet.
Beyond Kenya, Maathai became an internationally recognised voice for environmental protection, women's rights and accountable leadership.
Her Nobel Prize victory was widely seen as a landmark moment for African women in global leadership.
In her Nobel acceptance speech, Maathai called on women to speak out and take a greater role in leadership and community affairs.
Fifteen years after her death, her legacy continues through the Green Belt Movement and the millions of trees planted through initiatives inspired by her work.
Maathai is remembered not only as Kenya’s first Nobel Peace Prize laureate, but also as an environmentalist, politician and campaigner whose work connected environmental conservation with human rights, democracy and sustainable development.
