Attiya Waris is a recently inaugurated and distinguished law professor in Kenya, notable for being the second woman to achieve this title and the first from a religious, ethnic, and racial minority in the country. She stands as the only known Professor of Fiscal Law in Africa, contributing significantly to the intersection of finance and development, particularly in the areas of taxation, debt, and illicit financial flows.
Professor Waris has held several leadership positions, including Director of Research at her university and acting Deputy Principal of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, notably being the first woman to hold both positions simultaneously. Currently, she serves as the UN independent expert on foreign debt and international financial obligations related to human rights. She is also actively engaged in various global organizations including, Global Solidarity Levies Taskforce, the Capabuild Foundation, Tax Justice Network International and the O’Neill-Lancet Commission on Racism and Structural Discrimination where she serves in various capacities.
Her expertise has garnered international recognition, with recent citations in speeches by notable figures, including the Secretary of State for Finance in the Government of Honduras, Christian Duarte, Ireland’s President Higgins, Kenya’s Constitutional Court, as well as the Bahamian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frederick Mitchell, in discussions on international cooperation. Professor Waris is also a founding member of several influential institutions and organizations focused on tax justice and fiscal studies in Africa such as the Committee on Fiscal Studies, the House of Fiscal Wisdom and the Tax Justice Network Africa.