Caren Wakoli

Caren Wakoli is a Certified leadership coach, transformational leadership trainer, certified 7-Habits of Highly Effective People trainer, democracy & good governance champion, and social entrepreneur who delights in mentoring young women and men to be able to achieve their greatest potential in life. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Emerging Leaders Foundation (ELF); an organization that focuses on raising young people as positive agents of change in society, through effective participation in governance and decision-making processes. She has over 17 years’ experience of doing youth empowerment work in Kenya and Africa at large. She has taken part in various policy formulation and implementation processes in Kenya and internationally. She serves in various boards, governmental and non-governmental.

Caren has received several recognitions for her commitment to youth and women empowerment, democracy and good governance. She was a finalist in the CEO Global Most Influential Women in Business and Government (Civil Society and welfare category) 2017. She has been profiled as one of the most influential women in East Africa, by the East African Standard Newspaper in 2017. She is one of few African leaders to join the Obama Foundation African Leaders Program 2018. She is a YALI East African Fellow 2014 and Director; East African Acumen Fellow 2014, Spark* Kenya Changemaker 2013 and Young Female Achiever 2006 at the University of Nairobi.

Caren serves on various boards – she is the Chair of the Youth Congress, Board Member at DSW Kenya, YALI East Africa, and Siasa Place. She has previously served on the Government Agency Boards such as; National Council Member – African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM – under the African Union), Uwezo Fund, NACADA and Chaired Nairobi County Youth Oversight Board.

She has a Master’s degree in international studies and Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Sociology, both from the University of Nairobi.

In her free time, she likes to read biographies, watch movies, take nature walks, listen to music and journal.