RICHARD E. LEAKEY |
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Richard Erskine Frere
Leakey, second son of Louis and
Mary, was born on December 19, 1944. He
participated in his parent’s field expeditions from
an early age and was therefore well-placed to
inherit their legacy. His efforts
with paleoanthropology
involved not only field research and
discoveries but also many years serving
as the
director of the National Museums of Kenya (NMK). Work
at Koobi Fora began after a chance landing in the
area led Richard to believe that the area held a
wealth of fossil deposits. Together with a team
from the NMK, Richard led the first expedition to
Koobi Fora in 1968. Between 1968 and 1989 he
coordinated the NMK field expeditions to the eastern
and western shores of Lake Turkana. With the team of
talented and experienced fossil hunters led by Mr.
Kamoya Kimeu, many important finds were made,
including early stone age tools dating to around 1.9
million years old, evidence of early members of the
genus Homo, including skulls of Homo
habilis and Homo erectus, and remains of
robust australopithecines
A.
boisei
and A.
aethiopicus. The
extraordinary discovery of the
nearly complete
1.6 million year old
skeleton of the “Nariokotome Boy” (or
“Turkana Boy”), a Homo erectus
youth, was undoubtedly the most important.
After Dr. Leakey was appointed the head of the Kenya
Wildlife Services KWS in
1989, he was no longer able to continue with
fieldwork, though he remains interested in
paleoanthropology. As head of the KWS, Richard
successfully combated elephant and rhino poaching
and oversaw a reorganization of Kenya’s troubled
national park system. In 1993, he lost both legs
below the knee when the plane he was flying
crashed. The following year, political opposition
caused him to leave the KWS and he became
more
involved in Kenyan politics, serving as Secretary
General of Kenyan opposition party Safina. In
December 1997, he was elected to an opposition seat
in the Kenyan parliament.
Dr.
Leakey’s political career culminated in 1999 When
then-president Moi appointed him head of Kenya’s
Civil Service and of a so-called “Dream Team” of
technocrats assembled from various fields and backgrounds
to tackle management, corruption, and
reorganization issues within the Kenyan government.
He stepped down from this position in 2001,
announcing at that time that he was retiring from
politics.
Although subjected to political impasses,
intimidation and physical violence, he continues to
fight for political justice in Kenya. Dr. Richard
Leakey continues to lecture on
environmental themes and is currently involved in
grassroots wildlife conservation projects. In his
spare time he enjoys growing grapes and producing
wine on his farm near Nairobi.
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