Kenyan woman wins Nobel Peace Prize

KENYAN environmental activist Wangari Maathai became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday.

The 64-year-old was honoured for her work as leader of the Green Belt Movement, which has sought to empower women, better the environment and fight corruption in Africa for almost 30 years.

Ms Maathai, Kenya’s deputy environment minister, has been internationally recognised for her struggle for democracy, and gained recent attention for a campaign against land-grabbing and rapacious deforestation. The Green Belt Movement has planted more than 30 million trees across Africa.