Norah Olembo | |
|---|---|
 Olembo in 2001 | |
| Born | Norah Khadzini Ngaira 10 June 1941 |
| Died | 11 March 2021 (aged 79) Nairobi, Kenya |
| Occupation(s) | Academic and science policy developer and lobbyist |
Professor Norah Khadzini Olembo (10 June 1941 – 11 March 2021) was a Kenyan biochemist and policy developer, who helped establish standards for use of biotechnology in Kenya. She was the first African to become a professor and chair of the biochemistry department at the University of Nairobi. Raised in Western Kenya during British rule, Olembo studied biology at Butere Girls High School before completing her A-level studies at The Mount School in York, England. She earned a bachelor's, master's, and PhD in botany, chemistry, and zoology at the University of Nairobi before taking post-graduate courses in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of London. While teaching at the University of Nairobi, she founded the Biotechnology Trust Africa in 1992. The organisation funded research into development of disease-free crops and vaccines for animal diseases.
From 1992 until 2004, Olembo was the head of Kenya Industrial Property Office which was responsible for monitoring and recommending policies on environmental management, including regulating trade and intellectual property rights in regard to biodiversity. Her work helped build the position for Kenya's walkout of the WTO talks in Cancun, Mexico in 2003. At a time when most African nations shunned biotechnology, Olembo recognised its potential for national development. She was the inaugural chair of the African Technology Policy Studies Network from its independence in 2001 from the International Development Research Centre. Her lobbying efforts for policies led to the successful passage of the "Environmental Management and Coordination Act" of 1999 and the "National Guidelines for Research and Development of HIV/AIDS Vaccines", which both set out policies to foster collaboration, with protections for fair compensation and benefits from research. She was instrumental in the creation and adoption of the 2006 "National Biotechnology Development Policy" and the 2009 "Biosafety Act". In addition to her policy work, Olembo served on the planning committees for Kenyan participation in the 1985 and 1995 World Conferences on Women. She was a founder of FEMNET and the African Women's Forum on Science and Technology, organisations created to foster women's leadership and empowerment. Olembo was inducted into the Kenya National Academy of Sciences in 1994. She was honoured with the Order of the Grand Warrior of Kenya in 1995 and as a Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear in 2001.