President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday mourned the late Prof Caleoustus Juma describing him as a distinguished scholar and patriot.
The Havard don passed on in the US barely days after he buried his mother. He hails from Nyanza.
Uhuru said: "I learned of the death of Professor Calestous Juma with profound dismay."
Several leaders, among them NASA's Raila Odinga, sent their tribute to the bereaved family.
He also hailed Juma as “a distinguished scholar who helped build the country’s profile across the globe.”
"We pray for and mourn with his family, students and the entire Harvard University fraternity,” the Odm leader said.
Rwanda President Paul Kagame said the late was “a brilliant mind who was dedicated to innovation, education and Africa's prosperity.”
"Condolences to his family and friends. May he rest in peace,” he said via his official Twitter page.
For his part, Uhuru said Juma is credited for the founding of the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) in Nairobi.
"He served as its Executive Director until 1995, when he left to take up the position of Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal," the president said in a statement to the media.
He said: "Those who had the pleasure of meeting him — or communicating with him online and off — will testify to his warmth, his love of learning, and his great generosity."
"We will miss him. I am grateful for his life; and I pray that God, who has called Professor Juma to himself, will comfort his family and grant them the grace and courage to endure the loss," the president said.
Several world leaders and institutions, such as Quartz Africa, said Juma will be greatly missed following his contribution in Health Innovation programmes.
"We're very sad to learn news of the passing of Harvard professor Calestous Juma @calestous, a great supporter of @qzafrica right from the start. Like us, he was a great believer in the power of innovation in driving the future of the continent. He'll be sorely missed," Quartz Africa said via twitter.
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