Patrick Waringa is an operations management expert with over 10 years of experience in Kenya’s conservation sector. His expertise is anchored on experience in one of Kenya’s premier conservation hub, the greater Maasai Mara ecosystem. Currently, Waringa serves as Chief Operations Officer with the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association (MMWCA), a position he has held for the last four years. The Association is an umbrella body for 15 conservancies situated in the Maasai Mara Ecosystem and one of the 12 regional associations that form the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association. Waringa plays a critical role in ensuring MMWCA provides a space for open discussions, knowledge sharing, and is a voice for advocacy; supports the creation and development of conservancies; and leads and/or implements development and conservation programmes across member conservancies.
Waringa has played an important in sourcing funding and talent to operationalize the Association fully. Notably, he recently led MMWCA to secure USD2 million to among others strengthen governance and mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, Waringa served as Deputy Programme Coordinator at the UNESCO-IHE led MaMaSe initiative from 2014 to 2017. MaMaSe initiative brought together knowledge, expertise, networks, and resources from Kenya and the international space to improve water safety and security in the Mara River Basin. Through the initiative, Waringa contributed significantly to developing a water allocation plan for equitable water sharing; enhancing livelihoods and ecosystem conservation by implementing water-wise commodities, and adoption of holistic management for improved livestock production.
Earlier, Waringa deputized Project Director of the Kenya Youth Empowerment Project (KYEP), funded and oversighted by the World Bank. KYEP was a national pilot project implemented jointly by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance and Kenya’s Government. The project aimed at supporting the Government’s effort to improve youth employability through the provision of Training and Internship. A post-implementation review found that an average of 75 per cent of the Interns participating in the project ended up securing employment (wage or self). The success of the project led to the current Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project.
Waringa’ s passion for the environment and youth empowerment is evident from his earlier roles. A case in point is when he served as Deputy General Manager for Bins (Nairobi) Services Ltd, a leading Solid waste management company. During his tenure at Bins Group (2008-2010), the company grew its customer base by 25 per cent. Further, he served as Project Administrator for the Water Users Association Support Programme (WUASP) between 2002 and 2006. WUASP was a multi-million-dollar bilateral programme between Kenya and Belgium’s governments implemented jointly by the Ministry of Water and Belgium Technical Co-operation. The programme focused on Water sector reforms and water scheme rehabilitations. By 2006, WUASP had rehabilitated and operationalized several water schemes in Machakos, Makueni and Kajiado.
Waringa is a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration (Finance) from the University of Nairobi.