Former Head of the Public Service, Dr. Richard Leakey, has died at 78. To learn more about the cause of death, read this article till the end.
Richard Leakey was a Kenyan politician, palaeoanthropologist, and conservationist.
Dr. Richard Leaky is dead:
Former head of public service dies at the age of 78. President Kenyatta mourns Leaky as a distinguished servant #SundayLive pic.twitter.com/T7iP4StX9U
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) January 2, 2022
President Uhuru Kenyatta confirmed Dr. Richard Leakey’s death, paying tribute to him as a distinguished servant.
Richard Leaky Death Cause: Louis Leakey Son Age
Dr. Richard Leakey died at the age of 78. He was born in Nairobi, Kenya, on December 19, 1944, and passed away on January 2, 2022.
President Uhuru Kenyatta delivered the news of his death to newsrooms on January 2, 2022. The reason for his death had not been confirmed.
Kenyatta honored Leakey for his significant involvement in Kenya’s thriving civil society, where he started and successfully administered a variety of organizations, including the conservation group Wildlife Direct.
Rest in Peace Dr. Richard Leaky pic.twitter.com/hNVNYxUzuk
— Qwestice Kenya (@QwesticeKE) January 2, 2022
Dr. Leakey, a world-renowned Kenyan paleoanthropologist and environmentalist, has held some public-sector positions, including Director of Kenya’s National Museums and Chairman of the Kenya Wildlife Service Board of Directors.
Kenyatta stated, ” I express my condolences and sympathy to Dr. Richard Leakey’s family, friends, and associates on behalf of the people of Kenya, my family, and myself during this terrible time of loss.”
In the 1970s, Leakey, the middle son of famed paleoanthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey, they conducted expeditions to locate early hominid bones despite having no professional archaeological training.
His most renowned find was a remarkable, nearly-complete Homo erectus skeleton named Turkana Boy discovered during one of his excavations in 1984.
Leakey was appointed to command the national Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) by then-President Daniel Arap Moi in 1989, where he oversaw a vigorous drive to end elephant ivory poaching. In the Rift Valley, in 1993, his little Cessna plane crashed. He was saved, but both of his legs were severed.
He also dabbled in politics, controlled civil society organizations, and served as Kenya’s civil service chief for a brief period.
Richard Leaky Wife: Who Is He Married To?
In the year 1965, Richard Leaky married Margaret Cropper. However, in 1969, they divorced.
After that, in 1970, Richard married Meave Leaky. They had a two daughter named Louise and Samira.
RIP Dr. Richard Leaky https://t.co/wdu9HJVynG
— Michuki Gavana (@michukipn) January 2, 2022
Meave Leakey is a palaeoanthropologist from the United Kingdom, and Stony Brook University is where she works. She is the Turkana Basin Institute’s Plio-Pleistocene research coordinator.
She has conducted a considerable field study in the Turkana Basin and researches early hominid evolution. She holds a doctorate in philosophy and a doctorate in science.
Richard Leaky Family Details
Dr. Richard’s mother’s name is Mary Leaky, and his father’s name is Louis Leaky.
Mary Leakey, a British paleoanthropologist, was the first to find a fossilized Proconsul skull, an ancient ape that is today thought to be a human’s ancestor.
She spent much of her career at Olduvai Gorge with her husband, Louis Leakey, where they discovered ancient hominin and early hominid fossils, as well as stone tools made by the latter species.
Louis Leakey was a Kenyan-born British paleoanthropologist and archaeologist who discovered Olduvai Gorge with his wife. A fellow paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey helped to prove that humans developed in Africa.
After establishing a palaeoanthropological investigation program in eastern Africa, he inspired many subsequent generations to pursue this scientific study.
Richard Leaky Net Worth
Dr. Richard Leaky’s net worth is believed to be between $1 million and $5 million. This is only an estimate because he hasn’t published his net worth.
2nd January 2022 turns out to be a very dark day with kenya lossing two distinguished carreer civil servants Hon Charles Njonjo and Hon Dr Richard Leaky. Their contribution in different sectors laid that firm foundation we have built our civil service on. RIP Our Elders.
— Hon.Makali Mulu, PhD (@MakaliMulu) January 2, 2022
He might make a lot of money as a Kenyan palaeoanthropologist, conservationist, and politician. When it comes to his lifestyle, he leads a very opulent existence.