Kenyan born Havard professor Calestous Juma is dead.

Juma, born on June 9, 1953, died on Friday barely a week after his mother was buried.

He is one of Kenya's foremost recognised professors and was also the first African Science and Environmental journalists at the Daily Nation newspaper.

According to Wikipedia, Prof Juma is an internationally recognised authority in the application of science and technology to sustainable development worldwide.

He was named one of the most influential 100 Africans in 2012, 2013 and 2014 by the New African magazine.

He was the professor of the practice of International Development and faculty chair of the Innovation for Economic Development Executive Program at Harvard Kennedy School.

Juma was also director of the school's Science, Technology and Globalisation project

as well as the Agricultural Innovation in Africa Project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

His latest book, The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa was published by Oxford University Press between 2011-13

In recognition of his work, Juma was elected to the Royal Society of London, the US National Academy of Sciences, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the UK Royal Academy of Engineering, the African Academy of Sciences and the New York Academy of Sciences.

Wikipedia says Juma grew up on the Kenyan shores of Lake Victoria where he obtained early education.

He first worked as an elementary school teacher before his stint at the Daily Nation newspaper.

Juma later joined the Nairobi-based Environment Liaison Centre International as a founder and editor of trilingual quarterly magazine, Ecoforum.

This was before he received an MSc in Science, Technology and Industrialisation and a DPhil in Science and Technology Policy from the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex.

He has written widely on science, technology and sustainable development.