Guyo Malicha Roba

Guyo Roba is the director of the Jameel Observatory for Food Security Early Action, based at the International Livestock Research Institute in Kenya. Prior to his appointment in 2022, Guyo held leadership roles in the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA).

A leading expert in natural resource management, rural development and drylands, with extensive experience implementing natural resource programmes in Eastern and Southern Africa and the wider Horn of Africa, Guyo oversees projects at the Jameel Observatory to mitigate food security and reduce malnutrition in East Africa, through forecasting, long-term preparedness and emergency response to climate-related food and health risks. Guyo’s work focuses on the importance of improving the reliability of early warning and risk management systems in order to mitigate the effects of drought.

Guyo comes from the Borana pastoralist community in Northern Kenya and brings personal and technical insights to his work with dryland communities. He took a bachelor’s of science degree in environmental planning and management from Kenyatta University, followed by a master’s in energy studies from the University of Dundee and a PhD in agricultural sciences from Universität Kassel.