Afcon 2021: All you need to know about referee Waweru who is flying Kenya flag in Cameroon

Despite Kenya’s national team missing out on the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, the country’s presence is still being felt.

This is courtesy of centre referee Peter Waweru, who took charge of the Group C fixture between Comoros and Gabon that ended 1-0 in favour of the Panthers at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo on Monday.

Ironically, one of his assistants during the fixture was Kenyan Gilbert Cheruiyot, and with the Harambee Stars missing the Cameroon edition after finishing third in a qualifying group that comprised of Egypt, Togo and the Coelacanths, the country’s flag is still flying high.

Who is referee Waweru?

Apart from being a referee, the 39-year-old Waweru is also a Professor of Pure Mathematics at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya.

Waweru was born in Nairobi, Kenya and he attended Gatheri Primary School and Kirogo High School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics & Computer Science in (2006) and a master of Science in Pure Mathematics (2008) both from Jomo Kenyatta University.

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He attained a Ph.D. in Pure Mathematics in 2013 from Jomo Kenyatta University and in 2015, Waweru accomplished a Postgraduate Diploma in Education Technology from University of Cape Town.

When did Waweru start refereeing?

Waweru started to officiate football matches in the lower leagues of Kenya in 2011.

In 2013, he joined Kenyan Premier League and in 2017 he was listed as a Fifa referee. He has officiated in various Fifa tournaments such as Afcon U20 in 2019, Afcon 2019 in Egypt, 2019 U17 World Cup in Brazil, 2021 Chan where he officiated the final.

Since 2017, Waweru has officiated several Caf Champions League games, Confederation Cup matches and Fifa World Cup qualifying matches and he was picked as one of the referees for the 2021 Afcon in Cameroon.

He is a member of the 20 pioneer group for Caf/Fifa Professional Referee since 2020.

Is Waweru a lecturer?

Waweru has served in different positions such as an Academic teaching assistant (2007-2009), as a Tutorial Fellow (2009-2013), as a lecturer (2013-2019) and since 2019 he serves as a senior lecturer at Jomo Kenyatta University.

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He lectures Number theory, Coding theory and Algebra related courses.

Waweru has also published the finding of his research on Abstract Algebra, Coding and Number Theories in Mathematical books and other peer-related publication journals.

Other achievements if any?

Last season, Waweru was named the best referee in the top-flight after beating Anthony Ogwayo and Davis Omweno to the gong.

During the award ceremony held in a Nairobi Hotel, Waweru said he was motivated to use his talent to inspire the youth and promised to start a referee academy.

“My plan is to start a referee academy to nurture young talents and give back to the community,” Waweru said as quoted by JKUAT website.