Meet Martha Karua’s Only Daughter, Dr Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg. Find Out More About Her

Few people know much about Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, the only daughter of veteran politician Martha Karua. Just like her mother, Wanjiru is highly educated and passionate about leadership and women’s empowerment.

Born in 1978 in Nairobi, Wanjiru moved to the United States as a teenager, where she completed her high school studies in Denver, Colorado. She later graduated in 2001 with a degree in Politics from Whitman College.

Her academic journey did not stop there. She went on to earn both a Master’s and PhD in Political Science from the University of Minnesota, focusing on international relations, gender studies, and African history.

In 2005, she founded Akili Dada, a leadership program that supports bright girls and young women from underprivileged families by offering mentorship and scholarship opportunities.

Thanks to her qualifications and experience, Wanjiru has held top academic and leadership positions, including Assistant Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco and lecturer in International Relations at Hekima College, Nairobi.

Her work has since gone global. She has served as Executive-in-Residence at Schmidt Futures, helping build initiatives for Black women in senior leadership roles. Currently, she is the founder and president of Black Women in Executive Leadership (B-WEL).

In 2024, she was appointed Senior Fellow at the Ford Foundation, where she works on scaling up leadership opportunities for Black women worldwide.

Just like her mother, Wanjiru is committed to gender equality, especially when it comes to African women and girls in leadership.

She is proof that brilliance, dedication, and purpose run deep in Martha Karua’s family.