Cynthia Nafula Nyongesa is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, an IDA Youth Champion, and a youth education advocate with a strong record of using law, communications, and digital media to drive social change. She currently works at the Commonwealth Secretariat and has held previous roles with UNICEF Kenya, the International Trade Centre, BBC, and the Democratic Governance and Rights Unit, contributing to campaigns on youth engagement, women’s empowerment, and refugee protection.
In 2016, after being named a finalist in the World Bank’s Blog4Dev competition, Cynthia launched Cynthia Untamed, a digital platform that spotlights youth and women leaders across Africa. Through multimedia storytelling, she has mentored over 70 changemakers and built a following of over 50,000. She has represented young people at major forums, including the UN General Assembly and the IMF Youth Fellowship, and helped mobilize over $4 billion for global education as a Youth Leader for the Global Partnership for Education and Generation Unlimited. Cynthia holds a Master of Laws from the University of Cape Town, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Nairobi, and additional training in public relations and legal practice.