Fred Kihara works for the Nature Conservancy as the Africa Water Funds Director implementing a continent-wide strategy targeting to establish 15 Water Funds by 2025.  The Water Fund model has been tested and proven after the establishment of Nairobi Water Fund in 2015 and Cape Town in 2018.  As a pioneer for this approach Fred successfully mobilised both public sector and private sector players to join hands and support rural communities living in watersheds to conserve their environment and create green infrastructure needed for sustained clean water supply.

He holds a master degree in Agricultural Engineering with over 20 years, experience in water conservation, sustainable land management, wildlife conservation and most recent conservation of Biological World Heritage Sites under the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Amongst other honours, Fred is:

• Governor (Alternate) of the World Water Council (2018-2021)
• Co Chair of the Africa Source Water Protection Congress Planning team 2020
• A Robert W. Wilson Conservation Leadership Fellow of Harvard University 2019
• Leadership scholar of Judge Business School, Cambridge University 2019
• Global Conservation Award Winner in TNC, 2017
• Best Innovative Outcomes Team award Africa winner 2018
• Member of the Global ISO- Drip Irrigation Standards Development Committee (2016),
• and a former Chairman of Kenya Aloe Vera Working Group, 2006.

Fred has been the focal person and manager of many partner relationships like Aga Khan Development Network’s IPS agency – TNC partnership that has supported over 10,000 rural small holder farmers adopt rainwater harvesting, take up avocado growing and now incorporating drip irrigation to improve productivity in their farms.

He is replicating similar initiatives in cities like Tanga (Tanzania) Eldoret and Mombasa, here in Kenya.

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