Kenya has lost a committed environmentalist, climate policy expert and public servant with the passing of John Kioli Kalua, a Commissioner of the Nairobi Rivers Commission.
Kalua died on Monday, September 28, 2026, after suffering a sudden asthma attack while attending to his usual activities in Nairobi’s Central Business District. His family said efforts by people at the scene to assist him, including attempts to obtain an inhaler, were unsuccessful. He was subsequently pronounced dead by medical personnel.
His death has brought to an abrupt end a career spanning more than two decades and dedicated largely to climate change, environmental governance, energy policy and sustainable development.
A career built around environmental stewardship
Born in 1972 in Starehe, Nairobi, Kalua developed a professional career at the intersection of environmental policy, climate change and community development.
According to his parliamentary vetting records, he held a Bachelor of Education Arts degree from Maseno University, then a constituent college of Moi University and later obtained a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies, specialising in Climate Change and Sustainability, from Kenyatta University.
For more than 24 years, he worked in climate change and environmental policy, contributing to policy development at both national and county levels. The Nairobi Rivers Commission described him as an expert with extensive experience in drafting, advocating for and implementing environmental and energy policies.
He served as Executive Director of the Green Africa Foundation and chaired the Kenya Climate Change Working Group, positions that placed him at the centre of Kenya’s growing climate-policy conversation.
His work also extended beyond Kenya through initiatives focused on climate justice, renewable energy and energy access across sub-Saharan Africa.
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A contributor to Kenya’s climate policy framework
Kalua’s contribution to public policy was significant.
As a member of the National Climate Change Council, he was involved in work relating to the implementation of the National Climate Change Act of 2016 and the National Climate Change Action Plans. He also contributed to county-level environmental legislation, including the Kitui County Charcoal Management Act, the Kajiado Climate Change Act and the Narok County Environment Act.
His parliamentary vetting records show that his professional experience included work with a range of government, civil society and international development initiatives, including projects supported by organisations such as WWF and USAID.
He was also involved in research and knowledge development around energy access and climate change. His published work included A Review of Energy Access in Kenya and Impacts of Climate Change on Energy Security, published through the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
His final chapter: restoring Nairobi’s rivers
Kalua’s appointment to the Nairobi Rivers Commission placed him at the centre of one of Nairobi’s most consequential environmental challenges.
The Commission was established to help reclaim Nairobi’s rivers as part of the city’s blue and green infrastructure and improve the urban environment and quality of life.
Kalua brought to that assignment decades of experience in climate policy, environmental governance and sustainable energy.
Only recently, he represented the Commission in discussions around the restoration of Nairobi’s river system and nature-based solutions for addressing flooding, pollution, environmental degradation and public health challenges.
In July 2026, while representing the Nairobi Rivers Commission at the launch of a Nature-based Solutions Strategic Framework, Kalua emphasised that restoring Nairobi’s rivers would require coordinated action and sustained investment rather than isolated projects.
That message captures much of the philosophy that defined his professional life: environmental challenges require long-term thinking, sound policy, collaboration and sustained implementation.
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A public servant whose work extended beyond titles
Kalua’s career illustrates an important dimension of public service: much of its impact is not always visible to the wider public.
Policy experts, advocates, researchers and technical leaders often work behind the scenes, helping shape legislation, institutions and programmes whose effects may only become evident years later.
Kalua’s work in climate change and environmental policy placed him in that category.
He worked across government, civil society, development organisations and community-oriented initiatives. His professional record reflects a career spent building bridges between policy and implementation, particularly around issues that have become increasingly important to Kenya’s future: climate resilience, clean energy, environmental protection and sustainable development.
A legacy written in policy and institutions
The measure of Kalua’s contribution is therefore not only the positions he occupied, but also the institutions, policies and conversations to which he contributed.
His work formed part of Kenya’s evolving response to climate change. His involvement in national climate institutions connected him to the country’s legislative and policy architecture. His environmental advocacy contributed to broader conversations around climate justice and energy access. And his final public assignment with the Nairobi Rivers Commission connected his career directly to the restoration of one of Kenya’s most important urban ecosystems.
His passing comes at a time when Nairobi continues to confront flooding, pollution, encroachment on riparian areas and the broader effects of climate change. The work he was involved in therefore remains unfinished.
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Remembering John Kioli Kalua
John Kioli Kalua leaves behind more than a résumé of professional appointments.
He leaves behind ideas, policies, institutions, partnerships and a body of work built around the belief that Kenya’s environmental future requires deliberate stewardship.
For his colleagues in the Nairobi Rivers Commission, the Green Africa Foundation, the Kenya Climate Change Working Group and the wider environmental community, his death represents the loss of a colleague and fellow advocate.
For Kenya, it is the loss of a professional who devoted much of his working life to an issue that will increasingly define the country’s development trajectory.
The Nairobi Rivers Commission described his death as sudden and unexpected and asked Kenyans to keep his family and friends in their thoughts and prayers.
As the country mourns, perhaps the most fitting tribute to John Kioli Kalua is to continue the work to which he devoted his life: building a Kenya that is more environmentally responsible, climate-resilient and sustainable for generations to come.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
