Richard Erskine Frere Leakey. 19 December 1944—2 January 2022

Richard Leakey was a palaeontologist, a palaeoanthropologist, an administrator, an advocate for wildlife and an advocate for Kenya, but above all he was a proud African. More than most of us he was shaped by his family history and particularly by his parents, but he built on that inheritance and their example to make his own singular contributions to science and the common good. Richard Leakey was a polymath who made things happen. As well as making substantial contributions to science, and to the long-term welfare of the people and the wildlife of Kenya, he had the foresight to realize that without strengthening its institutions, even his prodigious personal efforts would not be enough. The results of his encouragement of science and conservation in Kenya, and more widely on the African continent, will be felt for years to come.