Stella Mutai
Stella Mutai is a Kenyan geospatial-information and Earth-observation specialist serving as Programme Officer with the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) in Nairobi. Since 2022 she has led regional initiatives that harness optical, SAR and drone data to support disaster risk reduction, climate-adaptation planning and humanitarian logistics across nine East African countries. Her team’s 2024 flood-risk dashboard, adopted by Kenya’s National Disaster Operations Centre, cut emergency response times by 31 percent during the El Niño rains.
Stella earned a BSc in Geomatics Engineering from the University of Nairobi and an MSc in Remote Sensing and GIS from the University of Twente’s ITC faculty, graduating top of her cohort. Before joining the UN she ran geospatial analytics at the International Centre for Humanitarian Affairs and consulted for World Bank water-security projects.
A passionate advocate for inclusivity, she founded “Women Map Kenya,” a mentorship network that has trained 1,400 female students on open-source mapping and UAV operations. Recognitions include the 2023 “Women in Geospatial+ 50 Rising Stars,” Quartz Africa Innovator 2024, and selection to the 2025 Aspen New Voices Fellowship.
Outside work she volunteers with Missing Maps, enjoys trail running, and is developing an online Swahili MOOC on satellite data for climate-resilient agriculture.