Wairu has over 15 years of experience in setting up and strategically leading vast high-impact social development projects. She possesses expertise in contextualizing and bringing to life development efforts around social justice, social economic and inequality, women and economic empowerment, community mobilization, policy influencing and advocacy initiatives.
Over the years, Wairu has been instrumental in designing new and innovative programs that integrate people, resources and communities to accomplish program excellence and shared values. She has been resourceful in Systems Thinking and Practice Coaching and influencing policies in Tax, Civic Space, Philanthropy, Urban planning and Unpaid Care Work. Moreover, she has successfully established and implemented financial sustainability frameworks in Philanthropy and Residents Associations. She has organized communities, facilitated workshops and capacity building and delivered fundraising strategies that link different stakeholders to accessible opportunities. Wairu’s value proposition is to advance and enable African communities to shape their development discourse and deliver community driven development programs and initiatives. Thus, I seek opportunities that utilize my skills and knowledge to enhance participatory community development, innovative programme design and management as well as governance structures that facilitate holistic locally led organizations and initiatives.
Wairu currently works as an Independent Consultant supporting not for profit organisations in the Governance, Human Rights and Philanthropy space. She also works with for profit organisations in the tech, innovation and entrepreneurship sector. Wairu also serves as a Board member of various organisations in the not for profit and private sector in Kenya. She has worked with Oxfam in Kenya, Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF), Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and the National Council for Law Reporting.
Wairu is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and has an MSc in Strategic Project Management from Heriot Watt University, Politecnico Di Milano and Umea Business School.
You will likely find Wairu spending time with her family, taking forest walks, mentoring young people or reading African fiction. Wairu has a keen interest in Waldorf education and international development Aid in Africa.