[6][1] She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Philosophy (1990) and a Master's degree in Armed Conflict and Peace Studies (2013) from the University of Nairobi, and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Keene State College.

[8] From 2009 to 2013, Nderitu served as a Commissioner of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission in Kenya, established to mediate religious, ethnic, and race-related conflicts, counter hate speech, and promote peaceful coexistence.

[9][10] She helped mediate between ten ethnic communities to prevent a repeat of the country’s 2007-08 election violence that had included an estimated 1,500 deaths, 3,000 rapes, and 650,000 displaced residents.

[12] Nderitu served as a Commissioner of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the dissolution of the Makueni County government in Kenya.

"[18] In 2020, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Nderitu the UN's Under-Secretary-General and Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, succeeding Adama Dieng of Senegal.

[20][9] She is also the founder of the Community Voices for Peace and Pluralism, a network of African women professionals preventing and transforming conflicts worldwide.