Lazaro Kipkurui Sumbeiywo

Lt. Gen. Lazaro Kipkurui Sumbeiywo is a retired senior Kenyan military officer and internationally recognized peace mediator with over 35 years of distinguished service. He trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom and rose through the ranks to become Commander of the Kenya Army in 2000, marking a career characterized by professionalism, integrity, and exemplary leadership.

General Sumbeiywo is best known for his role as Chief Mediator in the Sudan Peace Process, where he helped reconcile the positions of Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and the late Colonel John Garang, leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). His efforts were instrumental in ending more than two decades of conflict and culminated in the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on January 9, 2005. He later contributed to the Agreement to Resolve the Crisis in South Sudan (ARCSS) in 2015, further reinforcing his role as a leading figure in regional peace diplomacy.

Beyond these landmark processes, General Sumbeiywo has continued to support peace and security initiatives across Africa as a trusted advisor on high-level mediation, civil–military relations, and post-conflict stabilization. He is a founding council member of the Nairobi-based Global Centre for Policy and Strategy (GLOCEPS) and serves in advisory capacities to organizations working on conflict resolution and regional security.

Widely regarded as one of Africa’s foremost military diplomats, General Sumbeiywo brings decades of experience bridging military leadership and diplomatic peacemaking.