Susie Weeks
Executive Officer
Susie has been running the Trust for 10 years. She graduated from London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies with a BA in Geography with specific reference to Africa and Asia, and obtained a postgraduate Masters degree in Environmental Management and Protection at Edinburgh University a few years later. Previously she worked for the African Environmental Film Foundation with renowned wildlife film maker Simon Trevor, as a Director of African Operations for Blue Heron Films and as a Community Development Director and Lodge Manager for Loisaba Wilderness. She has also worked as a safari guide, a PADI Divemaster and as a voluntary marine research scientist on Mafia Island off the coast of Tanzania.
Susie was born in Kenya and grew up in Nanyuki, Malindi and Mombasa. Her passion for and East Africa’s wildlife, habitats and environmental security started with her love for animals.
In 2007 Susie was nominated as Woman of the Year for the Wildlife and Conservation category in Kenya’s ‘Eve Woman of the Year Awards’. This year Susie has been gazetted an Honorary Kenya Wildlife Service Warden.
Maurice Nyaligu
Project Manager
Maurice Nyaligu is a natural resource practitioner with over ten years experience and has worked in various capacities in Kenya, the Eastern Africa region and in Europe. His first assignment was with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) where he worked as a wetlands monitoring and research officer; contributing to the development of the National Wetland Policy, training of wetland resource persons and inventorying. He later joined IUCN (the World Conservation Union) at the Eastern & Southern Africa Regional Office as technical officer on wetlands and protected areas, and later as a World Heritage monitoring officer in Gland Switzerland on a joint UNESCO /IUCN project where he was responsible for monitoring the state of conservation of mixed and natural World Heritage Properties under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Prior to joining Mt. Kenya Trust, Maurice worked as an independent natural resource consultant for a number of organizations including EAWLS, UNESCO, UNEP, the LEWA Conservancy and the African Wildlife Foundation amongst others. He has been instrumental in national and regional level processes and in various capacities as a resource person, a consultant and a facilitator.
He holds a post-graduate degree (MA) in International Relations (Washington International Univ.) focusing on globalization and third world studies and a bachelor’s (Bsc) degree in Wildlife Management (Moi Univ.) as well as training in project/programme management and development, monitoring and evaluation. His interest in the Mt. Kenya ecosystem stems first from his work with the joint IUCN/ UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and secondly from his passion as an amateur mountaineer in the region (having climbed both Mt. Kenya and Kilimanjaro on more than one occasion). Maurice is a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas and is multilingual with a working knowledge of Swahili, French, Luhya and English. His hobbies include mountaineering and sports.
Humphrey Munene Njagi
Field Co-ordinator
Humphrey joined Moi University for a Bachelor’s degree in 1990. Humphrey successfully completed a 4 year course in Wildlife Management attaining a Second Class Honors – Upper Division. After completing the University, Humphrey worked at Ntulili Secondary School and Chief Mbogori Secondary School between 1995 and 1998. While teaching at Chief Mbogori Secondary School Humphrey did a Post Graduate Diploma Course in Education and attained a Credit One. 1n July 2000, he joined the Mt. Kenya Trust as the Field Coordinator, a position, he has excelled at. Humphrey works with local communities, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kenya Forest Service among others to plan and implement our projects. Humphrey has worked on all of our programmes which include: fencing, mapping, setting up tree nurseries and working on education projects and workshops.
Lillian A. Wanjiku
Administration Officer
Lillian was brought up and schooled in Nairobi. In 1999 she completed her degree in Economics and Geography at Nairobi University. She then went on to get a Diploma in IMIS (Institute for the Management of Information Systems) and ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Stage 1 at Strathmore University. Lillian also worked as an Accounts and Computer Clerk while at Strathmore. On completion of her courses, Lillian started working as Audit Assistant preparing financial statements for a variety of clients.
Keen to get experience in conservation, Lillian later joined the East African Wildlife Society as an Intern in the Deputy Directors office as his understudy and Personal Assistant. Having gained experience in areas related to conservation she became the Assistant Programme Officer of the Wetlands Program for the EAWLS. In this position she managed to acquire over 100 members involved in wetlands issues. Though Lillian’s role is varied and her responsibilities will increase with experience, Lillian essentially takes care of the accounts and administration of the Nairobi office and acts as a PA to Susie.
Edwin Kinyanjui
Senior Community Wildlife Officer
Edwin’s first introduction to conservation was as an assistant to renowned elephant conservationist . He and Hilde identified over 700 individual elephants on and around Mount Kenya. Despite the fact he was not formally employed for 4 years after his work with Hilde was complete he continued to help the Trust and Serena Mountain Lodge follow up on poaching and wildlife issues. The Trust was finally able to formally employ him in 2008. Edwin is from the Mount Kenya area and passionate about conservation of the forests and wildlife and elephants in particular. He heads up the Joint Wildlife Protection Team for the Trust and the Kenya Wildlife Service. Edwin has also been gazetted as an Honorary KWS Warden, a testament to his dedication and an invaluable tool for his job in the field.
