Jacqueline Saline Olweya is the Lesotho Resident Representative for the UN Development Programme, a position she has held since October 2022.
Prior to being appointed as the UNDP Resident Representative in the Kingdom of Lesotho, Jacquiy, as she is fondly known, served as the Deputy Resident Representative for Programmes in UNDP Somalia. Dr. Olweya also served as the Head of the Regional United Nations Sustainable Development Group for Eastern and Southern Africa (R-UNSDG ESA) covering 22 countries; Training Policy Specialist with the United Nations Development Operations Cooperation Office (UNDOCO); Assistant Resident Representative with UNDP Kenya in charge of Governance and Gender Programmes and National Gender Advisor to the Government of Kenya. She also worked as a Programme Manager with Care International for an EU-funded education project in Somaliland.
She has also served as an Assistant Resident Representative with UNDP Kenya in charge of Governance and Gender Programmes and served as a Training Policy Specialist at UNDOCO based in New York, where she led the design and implementation of various initiatives, including induction of first-time Resident Coordinators and the first UN Women Leadership Development Programme.
With over 20 years of experience in development practice, she provides high-level policy, advisory, teambuilding support, and capacity development initiatives for governments, the United Nations, civil society organizations, and academia.
Dr. Jacqueline Saline Olweya holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph.D.) in Economics and Planning of Education from Kenyatta University, Kenya, and a Master of Philosophy Degree in the same discipline from Moi University, Kenya. She has also published several books and articles on a wide range of topics/themes, including education, HIV & AIDS, governance, poverty, and strategic planning, among others, from a gender perspective.
A Kenyan citizen, Jacquiy brings a strong track record of leadership and demonstrated exemplary performance in change management, research undertaken, and contributions to policy debates in various subject areas.