Naomi Kinyanjui-Munene has joined the William Davidson Institute as Program Manager for Energy and E-Mobility, effective September 2026. Based in Nairobi, she will manage clean energy and e-mobility projects across Sub-Saharan Africa, covering business development, partner engagement, market research and program delivery.
She arrives with a decade of work in clean energy, infrastructure, climate finance, investment facilitation, policy advisory and public private partnerships across the continent, experience built through roles spanning government, civil society and legal practice.
Seven Years Inside the British High Commission
Before joining WDI, Kinyanjui Munene spent close to eight years at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, serving as Senior Trade and Investment Advisor at the British High Commission in Nairobi. In that role she led government to market engagement across energy and infrastructure investment portfolios, turning strategic priorities into commercially viable opportunities.
She advised senior decision makers on investment strategy and capital mobilisation, and regularly convened development finance institutions, investors, developers and regulators to structure public private solutions that unlock capital for project delivery.
Earlier in her career she worked as a consultant for Oxfam, assessing corporate policy in Kenya’s oil and gas sector, and served as legal counsel at the Commission on Revenue Allocation, where she researched natural resource revenue sharing and county level public finance. She trained as a lawyer, starting out at Mohamed Madhani and Co. Advocates before moving into energy focused legal work at Sichangi.
Her Own Words
Describing her focus areas, Kinyanjui Munene said her work sits at the intersection of capital mobilisation, policy influence and institutional delivery across Africa and global emerging markets.
“I lead complex energy and infrastructure investment portfolios, translating national and regional priorities into bankable, investment ready opportunities,” she said. “My work spans close engagement with both the public and private sector, Development Finance Institutions, Multilateral Development Banks, private investors, and multilaterals, where I am trusted to navigate political economy, structure partnerships, and align commercial objectives with long term development outcomes.”
She added that her leadership style rests on systems level thinking and delivery discipline. “I focus on strengthening investment pipelines, improving market confidence, and enabling organizations to scale portfolios while managing risk and complexity.”
Career History
| Role | Organization | Period | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Program Manager, Energy and E Mobility | William Davidson Institute | Sep 2026 to present | Nairobi |
| Senior Trade and Investment Advisor | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | Nov 2018 to Aug 2026 | Nairobi |
| Consultant, Extractive Industries | Oxfam | Feb 2018 to Nov 2018 | Nairobi |
| Legal Counsel | Commission on Revenue Allocation | Jan 2017 to Dec 2017 | Nairobi |
| Associate Advocate | Sichangi | Apr 2015 to Aug 2015 | Nairobi |
| Lawyer, Pupil | Mohamed Madhani and Co. Advocates | Mar 2014 to Mar 2015 | Nairobi |
Kinyanjui Munene holds a Master’s degree in Oil and Gas Law with Professional Skills from the University of Aberdeen, a Postgraduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law’s Advocates Training Programme, and a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the University of Nairobi.
The William Davidson Institute is a nonprofit affiliated with the University of Michigan that works to empower entrepreneurs, enterprises and decision makers in emerging markets. The organization focuses on health, climate health and energy, mobilizing entrepreneurs, investors, governments and academia to drive inclusive economic growth.
