{"id":"wangari-maathai","type":"person","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/wangari-maathai","language":"en","name":"Wangarĩ Maathai","name_en":"Wangarĩ Maathai","name_ne":"वाङ्गारी माथाई","description":"Kenyan environmentalist and politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 (1940–2011)","headline":"Kenyan environmentalist and politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 (1940–2011)","also_known_as":[],"summary":"Wangarĩ Maathai was a Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist who founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on planting trees, environmental conservation, and women's rights. In 2004, she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.","summary_more":[],"facts":[{"key":"born","label":"Born","values":[{"text":"1 April 1940","date":"1940-04-01"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795#P569"}},{"key":"birthplace","label":"Place of birth","values":[{"text":"Nyeri","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q380130"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795#P19"}},{"key":"died","label":"Died","values":[{"text":"25 September 2011","date":"2011-09-25"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795#P570"}},{"key":"deathplace","label":"Place of death","values":[{"text":"Nairobi","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3870"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795#P20"}},{"key":"citizenship","label":"Citizenship","values":[{"text":"Kenya Colony","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2538511"},{"text":"Kenya","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q114"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795#P27"}},{"key":"occupation","label":"Occupation","values":[{"text":"teacher","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37226"},{"text":"politician","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q82955"},{"text":"philanthropist","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12362622"},{"text":"biologist","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q864503"},{"text":"environmentalist","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3578589"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795#P106"}},{"key":"party","label":"Political party","values":[{"text":"Mazingira Green Party of Kenya","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3486897"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795#P102"}},{"key":"education","label":"Education","values":[{"text":"LMU Munich","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55044"},{"text":"University of Nairobi","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q649998","end":"1971"},{"text":"University of Giessen","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317053"},{"text":"University of Pittsburgh","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q235034","end":"1966"},{"text":"Benedictine College","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4887341"},{"text":"Loreto High School, Limuru","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6680931"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795#P69"}},{"key":"spouse","label":"Spouse","values":[{"text":"Mwangi Maathai","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108664231","end":"1978"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795#P26"}},{"key":"positions","label":"Positions held","values":[{"text":"Minister of Environment of Kenya (2003–2005)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q62079958","start":"2003-01","end":"2005-11"},{"text":"Member of the National Assembly (2002–2007)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17510786","start":"2002","end":"2007"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795#P39"}},{"key":"awards","label":"Awards","values":[{"text":"Nobel Peace Prize","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q35637","date":"2004"},{"text":"Knight of the Legion of Honour","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10855271"},{"text":"Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3295156","date":"2005"},{"text":"Right Livelihood Award","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q152770","date":"1984"},{"text":"Petra-Kelly-Preis","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2080088","date":"2004"},{"text":"Sophie Prize","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1723512","date":"2004"},{"text":"Goldman Environmental Prize","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1506625","date":"1991"},{"text":"Indira Gandhi Peace Prize","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3241794","date":"2006"},{"text":"The Nichols-Chancellor's Medal","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7754030"},{"text":"NAACP Image Award – Chairman's Award","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17011862"},{"text":"World Citizenship Award","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8035522","date":"2007"},{"text":"Elizabeth Blackwell Award","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46944187","date":"2008"},{"text":"Dorothy McCluskey Visiting Fellowship in Conservation","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q66446669","date":"2000"},{"text":"honorary doctor of Waseda University","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42309521","date":"2006"},{"text":"Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55339171","date":"2009"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795#P166"}}],"office":null,"sections":[],"cited":[],"cited_from":null,"videos":[],"last_reviewed":null,"organizations":[],"same_as":["https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangar%C4%A9_Maathai","https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%99%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%88","https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795"],"faq":[{"q":"When was Wangarĩ Maathai born?","a":"Wangarĩ Maathai was born on 1 April 1940 in Nyeri."},{"q":"What positions has Wangarĩ Maathai held?","a":"Positions held by Wangarĩ Maathai include: Minister of Environment of Kenya (2003–2005); Member of the National Assembly (2002–2007)."},{"q":"Where did Wangarĩ Maathai study?","a":"Wangarĩ Maathai was educated at LMU Munich, University of Nairobi, University of Giessen, University of Pittsburgh."}],"related":[{"name":"Mwai Kibaki","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/mwai-kibaki"},{"name":"Uhuru Kenyatta","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/uhuru-kenyatta"},{"name":"William Ruto","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/william-ruto"},{"name":"Joyce Chepkoech Korir","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/joyce-chepkoech-korir"},{"name":"Lee Kuan Yew","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/lee-kuan-yew"},{"name":"Nelson Mandela","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/nelson-mandela"},{"name":"Mahatma Gandhi","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/mahatma-gandhi"},{"name":"Martin Luther King Jr.","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr"}],"places_in":[],"nearby":[],"image":{"url":"https://diginpl.com/kb-img/wangari-maathai-96e2eecb40.jpg","width":466,"height":752,"license":"CC BY-SA 2.0","credit":"Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA","page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wangari_Maathai_in_2001.jpg"},"sources":[{"label":"Wikipedia (English): Wangarĩ Maathai","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangar%C4%A9_Maathai","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"},{"label":"Wikipedia (Nepali): वाङ्गारी माथाई","url":"https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%99%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%88","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"},{"label":"Wikidata item Q46795","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46795","license":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/"},{"label":"Image: Wangari Maathai in 2001.jpg by Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0)","url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wangari_Maathai_in_2001.jpg","license":null}],"license":{"text":"CC BY-SA 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/","facts":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/"},"attribution":"Text from the Wikipedia article Wangarĩ Maathai, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Wangari Maathai in 2001.jpg — Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0.","cite":"\"Wangarĩ Maathai\". DigiNepal. Last updated 11 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/wangari-maathai. Retrieved 15 November 2026.","date_modified":"2026-11-11T21:31:09Z","facts_checked":"2026-11-14","alternates":{"html":"https://diginpl.com/people/wangari-maathai","en":"https://diginpl.com/people/wangari-maathai","ne":"https://diginpl.com/people/wangari-maathai?lang=ne"}}