Official Spokesperson

Manoah Esipisu, a journalist and diplomat from Kenya, is Acting Spokesperson and Acting Director for Communications and Public Affairs.

Mr Esipisu has worked as Deputy Director for the Communications and Public Affairs Division since joining the Secretariat in 2006 from Reuters, the global news and information group. At Reuters, he was one of its experts on African politics, emerging markets issues, regional economic groupings, globalisation and trade, oil and gas and base metals. He also led financial journalism training programmes for the Reuters Foundation during that time.

An expert on media’s role in electoral processes, Mr Esipisu is author of “Eyes of Democracy: Media in Elections”, a handbook for journalists that has won rave reviews, including from Wolfson College, Cambridge University, Senior Research Fellow Bill Kirkman who said: “The book will be of great value to journalists and those wishing to become journalists. It would also be worth reading by anyone with an informed interest in democratic elections and the reporting of them.”

Professor Chris Roush, Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Scholar in Business Journalism at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, in 2006 called Mr Esipisu ”one of the most experienced and talented business journalists in Africa”

Mr Esipisu studied political science, literature and finance journalism at the University of Nairobi and City University London.