Professor Laban Ayieko Ogallo was born in Kenya on 20th January 1950 and died on Thursday, 19th November 2020 after a short illness. He was 70 years old.^[1] Prof. Ogallo effectively spearheaded the development of seasonal climate prediction programmes for Africa where he engaged with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Member States and negotiated for the successful transformation of what was then a WMO Drought Monitoring Project for Eastern Africa into an IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) serving the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) with climate prediction services. Prof Ogallo was one of the scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) when was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 2007 with Al Gore^[2].

Prof Ogallo was born in Karombo Village, Nyahera in Kisumu North Sub-County on 20th January, 1950. He started his education in 1958 at Ogada Primary School in Nyahera and sat for his Kenya Common Entrance Examinations (KCEE) in 1961.He also attended Gee Primary school from 1961 to 1962 and later Bar Union Primary School between 1963 and 1965 where he sat the Kenya African Primary Education (KAPE) which he passed with distinction and joined Kenyatta College (currently Kenyatta University) for both Ordinary and Advanced levels. Despite his humble beginnings he went on to graduate with honors in 1975 with a Bachelors of Science in Maths, Physics and Meteorology from the University of Nairobi. He obtained a Master of Science degree in Meteorology in 1977 and three years graduated yet again with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Meteorology in 1980 both from the University of Nairobi. He married Joan Ogallo1977 and they had five children Roy Ogallo, William Ogallo, Dr Linda Ogallo, Jerry Ogallo and Carol Ogallo, and five grandchildren Brandon, Chantelle, Zoe, Daniel and Talia.

Professor Ogallo started his profession as a meteorologist in the mid-1970s and rose to a full Professor of Meteorology at the University of Nairobi where he held key leadership positions including Chairman of the Department of Meteorology^[3]. He spearheaded the development of seasonal climate prediction programmes for Africa, earning him recognition and for which he was awarded the “WMO Award for the Encouragement of Young Scientists” in 1982^[1][4]. He was a founding Member of the Kenya Meteorological Society (KMS) and the African Meteorological Society (AfMS), where he also served as chief editor. Prof. Ogallo engaged with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Member States and negotiated for the successful transformation of what was then a WMO Drought Monitoring Project for Eastern Africa into an IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) serving the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) with climate prediction services. This initiative has had worldwide replication reaching as far as South America, Asia and Europe. Along with these activities, Prof. Ogallo pioneered initiatives, which led to scientific consultations among sectoral players in food security across many parts of Africa, thereby enabling preparedness and early action in situations of drought risks^[1].

He provided leadership as a founding member of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) for Climate Research for Development (CR4D) (a partnership of the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)) and the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), where he played a critical role for over twenty years^[1][4][5]. He also provided scientific advisory roles at national, regional and international levels as can be seen from his membership to the Kenya National Academy of Sciences (KAS); African Academy of Sciences (AAS); the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET), WMO's World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). The results of Prof. Ogallo’s research work have contributed enormously to the WMO’s regional and national efforts to enhance seasonal climate prediction and early warning systems, products and services within its Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS). He has been a member of the recently formed WMO Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) and also a member of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) as well as chairman of the Prize committee on Earth, Astronomy and Space Sciences^[1][4][5].