Benson Okita-Ouma

Director Hub East Africa - Wyss Academy for Nature

Dr. Benson Okita-Ouma is a distinguished Kenyan conservationist and Director of the Wyss Academy for Nature’s East Africa Hub since April 2022, driving innovative solutions to harmonize conservation and development (www.wyssacademy.org). Since 2018, he has co-chaired the IUCN SSC African Elephant Specialist Group, a global network of 95 experts dedicated to conserving Africa’s elephants and their habitats (www.afesg.org).

With over 25 years of professional experience, he has significantly contributed to the protection of black rhinos and African elephants, holding key roles in inter-governmental, governmental and non-governmental organizations such as IUCN, Kenya Wildlife Service (www.kws.go.ke), and Save the Elephants (www.savetheelephants.org).

He holds a PhD in black rhino population dynamics from Wageningen University (www.wur.nl) and is an alumnus of DICE, University of Kent. A recipient of a Presidential award the Moran Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) for distinguished service to the Nation, he is passionate about community development and preserving wildlife movement corridors.