Joseph Motari - Permanent Secretary, Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs, Kenya

The Principal Secretary oversees the design and implementation of policy reforms in Child Protection, Older Persons and Persons with Disability Sector. He provides strategic leadership in the design and execution of innovative programmes that strengthen service delivery to the vulnerable people in the communities across the country.

Shaheen Nilofer, UNICEF

Shaheen Nilofer is the UNICEF Representative to Kenya. She has over 30 years of experience in the development sector at senior leadership positions. This includes building large social sector development and humanitarian programmes for non-profit organizations, bi-laterals and Governments in the backdrop of under-development and post-conflict environments. Prior to joining UNICEF Kenya, Ms Nilofer served as UNICEF Representative to Eritrea (2019-22), UNICEF Representative to Turkmenistan (2016-19) and UNICEF Representative to Bhutan (2012-16).  She also served as UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Chhattisgarh (Central India) for over five years. Prior to joining UNICEF India, Ms Nilofer served in Oxfam GB, India and later in South Asia from 1993-2008 in various capacities including South Asia Regional Programme Quality Coordinator. She served as Oxfam’s Regional Representative, in East and South India region and later as India Country Humanitarian Programme Manager. She was responsible for programme strategy development and implementation, leveraging and resource management and management of human resources besides humanitarian response planning and management. 

Ms Nilofer is an Indian national. She holds a Doctorate in Gender Studies and a Master’s degree in Sociology.

Marco Knowles, FAO Social Protection Team

Marco is a Senior Social Protection Officer and Team Leader of FAO’s Social Protection Team. He has over 25 years of work experience with the United Nations agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP) and NGOs (Development in Action, SNV) in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. In addition to expertise in social protection, specifically on increasing access to social protection in rural areas, Marco has substantive experience in programme coordination and in providing evidence-based food security policy assistance and capacity development support. Marco holds a BSc in Economics and Sociology and an MSc in Development Studies.

Gala Dahlet, Social Protection Officer, FAO

Gala Dahlet is a social protection expert with more than eight years of experience in this field. She currently works at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN as social protection officer, and leads the portfolio of projects on social protection, climate action and economic inclusion at global and country level. Previously, Gala worked in FAO’s Strategic Programme Poverty Reduction, strategically mainstreaming poverty reduction efforts in FAO’s work. Among other positions, Gala has also worked in Brazil as Programme Manager at the NGO Institute Lula, leading South–South cooperation projects on social protection and food security policies, and in São Paulo’s State Government, as International Cooperation Officer. She holds a Master in international public management from Sciences Po Paris, and a Master in social policy and development from LSE.

Miriam Laker-Oketta, MD Research Director - GiveDirectly

Miriam Laker is a Medical Doctor, Epidemiologist, and Researcher. She is the Research Director of GiveDirectly, one of the fastest-growing international non-governmental organizations in the world. GiveDirectly delivers money to those suffering from humanitarian crises and extreme poverty.
Dr. Laker oversees the organization's portfolio of 20 randomized controlled trials used to conduct rigorous, experimental evaluations of the effects of unconditional cash transfers. She also leads the organization's monitoring and evaluation team and assists with fundraising.
Dr. Laker is a 2020-2021 Fellow of the Executive Leadership Foundation Program of the International Women's Forum, a joint program of INSEAD and Harvard Business Schools.
In recognition of her achievements, Dr. Laker was named one of Uganda's top 40 women under 40 years in 2016.

Richard Chirchir - Principal Digital Technology Specialist at Development Pathways

Richard Chirchir is the Principal Digital Technology Specialist at Development Pathways with more than 21 years’ experience in developing and advising on digital technology solutions, focused on social protection sector in more than 29 countries in Africa, Middle East, and Asia.

Richard designed the Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) MIS and the National Single Registry in Uganda, designed Kenya’s Consolidated Cash Transfer Programme Management Information System, designed and implemented Kenya’s Enhanced Single Registry technology platform; provided advice on Pakistan’s Benazir Income Support Programme and Indonesia’s Unified Beneficiary Registry, the two largest social registries in the world; reviewed and researched on China’s Integrated social protection MIS; advised on MIS development in the Seychelles, Angola, Laos, Malawi, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Namibia, Ghana, Yemen, Uzbekistan and Zambia; conducted a mapping and analysis of social protection management information systems for East and Central Africa countries of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, Burundi, Iraq and Rwanda; conducted de-duplication research and proposed probabilistic and machine-based learning methods for Bangladesh’s National Household Database (NHD) and developed MISs for cash transfer schemes in Liberia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Angola, Zambia, Somalia, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Namibia and Malawi.

Lou Tessier, Health Protection Specialist, ILO,

Lou Tessier is Health Protection Specialist at the Social Protection Department of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Lou supported the development of community-based health insurance (CBHI) in West Africa before joining Deloitte advisory services to the national health insurance system in France. Lou joined the ILO in 2011 in support of the adoption of Recommendation No. 202 on Social Protection Floors. She subsequently occupied various positions on social protection and occupational safety and health in headquarters and in Asia.  Lou obtained her Msc. in International Law and Economics from Sciences Po Lyon, her post-graduate diploma in Public Health (Global Health) from the University of Manchester and her MBA from ESSEC Business School. She also holds a bachelor in Anthropology from the University of Toulouse and an undergraduate degree in Geopolitics of the Middle East from the University of Lyon.

Idris Ahmed Deputy Secretary & Executive Director International Centre for Humanitarian Affairs

Ahmed Idris is Deputy Secretary General and Executive Director International Centre for

Humanitarian Affairs (ICHA) at the Kenya Red Cross. He has previously served as the Head of

Policy and Advocacy and Governance Manager. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science), a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws in International Law. He also holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School Tufts University and Master of Studies in International Human Rights Law from University of Oxford. Ahmed has over ten years’ experience shaping law and policy in Kenya and the region, working with public governments and communities to address humanitarian challenges.

Andrew Mundalo ALLIEU - Senior Social Protection Specialist - ILO

Andrew Mundalo ALLIEU is Senior Social Protection Specialist in the ILO Decent Work Team for
Eastern and Southern Africa – based in Pretoria. Prior to that, he was Project Manager/CTA for the
ILO-ICMPD/EU funded project “Extending access to social protection and portability of benefits to
migrant workers and their families in Africa” - a component of the AU-ILO-IOM-UNECA Joint Labour
Migration Programme for Africa. Andrew first joined ILO in 2009 under the QUATRAIN Africa
programme (Social Protection Quantitative Training for Africa) – a project aimed at strengthening
the financial governance of social protection systems in Africa. He was part of programme
development and teaching team at the ILO/University of Mauritius M.Sc. Social Protection Financing
Programme. His experience in the UN also includes - the UN Economic Commission for Africa, and
stints with UNICEF and FAO. Prior to joining the ILO, Andrew was Head of the Actuarial Department
at the national social security fund of Sierra Leone. He also served in the Cabinet Secretariat under
the World Bank/GoSL Public Sector Management Support Programme in Sierra Leone.
His academic background is in Actuarial Science (M.Sc.) and Economics (M.Phil.).

Dr. Sudhanshu (Ashu) Handa - Kenan Eminent Professor, Department of Public Policy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Dr. Handa is an economist specializing in poverty and human capital in developing countries and currently serves as Institute Fellow for AIR based in Nairobi, Kenya. Through the Transfer Project (https://transfer.cpc.unc.edu/), a partnership with UNICEF, FAO and the University of North Carolina, Dr. Handa has led or been part of large-scale impact evaluations of government cash transfer programs in Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Evidence on the social and productive effects of cash transfers from these countries has played an influential role in program operations and scale-up. Beyond social protection, Dr. Handa’s research covers a wide range of human development and poverty-related topics, including the psychological and behavioral effects of poverty. Dr. Handa was Chief of Social & Economic Policy at UNICEF’s Global Office of Research in Florence, Italy (2013-2016) and also served as UNICEF’s Regional Social Policy Advisor for Eastern & Southern Africa based in Nairobi (2006-2008). He has previously worked at the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Food Policy Research Institute, the Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique), and the University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica. Dr. Handa was born and raised in Tema, Ghana.

Gituro Wainaina

I am a PhD holder in Agricultural Economics, Master in Business Administration, Bachelor of Education and Associate Professor of Business Analytics in the School of Business University of Nairobi.  I have extensive working experience with University of Nairobi where I am an Associate Professor; Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat where I was Acting Director General as well as Director for Social and Political Pillars; World Bank where I was a Senior Education Economist; CARE International in Kenya where I was Regional Coordinator; and University of Nairobi Enterprises and Services Limited, where I was Deputy Managing Director and Business Development Manager.  Besides, I have a long-standing resilient partnership and working relationship with governments in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethipia, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Ghana, and Nigeria as well as with organizations such as UNDP, WFP, UNICEF, World Bank, African Development Bank, DfID, and Council of Governors.

I am member Uwezo Sasa Kenya National Advisory Committee; council member of Management University of Africa; member of Board of Trustees for Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology; board member of Centre for Innovative Leadership and Governance; and advisor Innovations for Poverty Action;

My passion includes provision of sufficient nutritional food; water harvesting and management; mainstreaming youth leadership and entrepreneurship; provision of inclusive quality lifelong learning and above all believing, practicing, and championing integrity together with ‘Ubuntu’.

Danielle Trotter - Senior Social Protection Officer - UNHCR Regional Bureau for the East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes

Danielle Trotter is the Senior Social Protection Officer with UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for the East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes. She holds a Master of International Relations from Monash University and has over 13 years of experience in the social protection sector, including supporting across the East African region, and in-country operations in Somalia, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Danielle has previously worked with both WFP and UNICEF and is passionate about social protection and the role it can play in inclusion and durable solutions for displaced populations.

Prof. Ludeki Chweya, Ph.D. CBS, Director General, Kenya School of Government

Prof. Ludeki Chweya is presently the Director General  & Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya School of Government. Chweya has previously served as Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Vice President & Ministry of Home Affairs of the Republic of Kenya. He is presently on Leave of Absence from the University of Nairobi where he has supervised numerous graduate theses and lectured in International Relations, Security studies, and Political Economy of Development in the Department of Political Science & Public Administration for more than twenty years, rising to the position of Senior Lecturer. Prof. Chweya has recently been appointed Associate Professor of Political Science at the School.

Prof. Chweya was elected the President of the African Management Development Management Institutes Network (AMDIN). AMDIN coordinates the work of public service management training institutes in all the five (5) regions of Africa.  

He has carried out numerous research works and published substantially in his field of specialization, written and presented papers in local and international conferences, provided consultancy services to governments and international organizations on a wide range of issues such as the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the wider New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) on the re-establishment of the Somali civil service, and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on Development of Benchmarks for Good Governance.  

During his tenure in Government, Prof. Chweya spearheaded fundamental reforms in the Kenya Prisons Service, especially transforming inmate facilities from “prisons” to truly “rehabilitation homes.” While at KSG he has led a team of staff to develop high level training curricula, research agenda, and consultancy programs that have been instrumental in transformation of the public service in Kenya and the region and raised the School’s standing to international standards.

Prof. Chweya received the Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Degree and the Master of Arts degrees in Government from the University of Nairobi and the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Political Studies from Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Winnie Fiona Mwasiaji - National Social Protection Specialist - FAO

Winnie is a holder of a Master’s degree in Rural Sociology and Community Development.  

She has over 30 years’ experience in social development 15 of which over has been in social protection policy and programming.  Winnie led the rethinking, conceptualization and institutionalization of social protection system in Kenya. She established and had the opportunity to serve as the first head of the National Social Protection Secretariat. During her eight years’ service in national social protection secretariat she initiated and facilitated the development of several accountability systems and mechanism for effective delivery of social protection policy and programming which included the single registry and the toll free line.

Winnie has achieved several milestones in the social protection arena. She led the development and adoption of the first National Social Protection Policy and the broad strategies for its implementation. She also led the development and management of several Kenya social protection accountability mechanisms including the single registry and the toll free line.

In 2016 she initiated the implementation of cash transfer program for older persons and persons with disabilities in Kenya.   Winnie also led the team that redesigned and piloted a social protection approach that aim to move social protection delivery to a more sustainable approach by allowing for social economic inclusion and poverty graduations of beneficiaries so as to enhance impact of social protection.

Winnie has a wide knowledge and experience in social protection and has been the vice chairperson of the community of practice for conditional and unconditional cash transfer, Anglophone / Lusophone Africa Chapter. She also serves as training in social protection. She has authored several publications on social protection policy and programming.

Winnie is currently serving in FAO-KE as the National Social Protection Specialist.

In December 2018, Winnie was awarded Head of State Commendation (HSC) by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya for her contribution to the Kenya social protection policy and programming.

Lydia Makena Micheni, Programme Officer, HelpAge International Kenya

Lydia is the lead program officer at HelpAge International Kenya office overseeing different projects by the country office for the past 4 years. A Skilled professional with over 9 years’ extensive experience in Health and social protection programming, nutrition, food security, field research, data management and program management of development projects. Areas of expertise include; project planning and implementation, Monitoring and evaluation, nutrition assessment and education, needs and impact assessments, community engagement as well as data collection and analysis. In her capacity at HelpAge, Lydia has contributed in the development of the National Healthy Aging Strategy(2022-2026) as well as the Community Health Volunteers Training Manual on Older Persons Health. She was also the Study coordinator for the first Longitudinal study on older persons titled “The effect of intersection between social protection mechanisms and local health systems on the health of older persons in Nairobi, Kenya” 2021-2022.

Richard Nyakundi Rori, Social Protection Research and Policy Analyst - National Social Security Fund (NSSF), Kenya

Richard Nyakundi Rori is a Social Protection Management and Administration Specialist. He has breadth and depth of experience in different social protection pillars- social insurance (social security), social assistance, and labor- across different country income groups in Africa.

Currently he works as a Social Protection Research and Policy Analyst at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) of Kenya. He is a core member of the National Social Protection Secretariat (NSPS). He is a regular trainer with ECASSA, a member of, Kenya’s Social Protection Community of Practice (CoP), Southern Africa Social Protection Experts Network (SASPEN), ILO’s social security Community of Practitioners and Experts promoting peer to peer learning on the extension of social protection to the informal in Southern and Eastern Africa. Rori believes that social protection’s purpose should be to eliminate, as far as possible, the need for its own existence. It is not only an ethical imperative but a matter of social justice and an essential condition for any country to achieve. Rori holds a MSC in Social Protection Financing, a MBA in Strategic Management, a postgraduate diploma in public relations, a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Security, a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Planning and Management, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Studies. Currently he is undertaking PhD Studies in Social Policy focusing on Social Protection. Rori’s technical and operational work in the past few years increasingly focuses on extending and strengthening social protection
(social insurance component) coverage; as well as on social protection delivery systems to develop strategic approaches to enhance coverage in the informal sector.

Dr. Robert Wabwile Simiyu

Dr. Robert Wabwile Simiyu has 20 years professional experience in International Development, currently working with UNICEF Kenya in Social and Economic Policy. He previously worked with UN Women, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Department for International Development (DFID), PKF International, Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) and Muema Kigotho and Associates.

His professional experience is mainly in Governance and Economic Reforms, with extensive work in Public Sector Management, Public Finance Management, Accountability, Devolution/Decentralization, Research and Public Policy, Poverty and Inequality analysis, Donor Coordination and Multilateralism, Gender and Women Empowerment, Electoral Cycle Management, Institutional Capacity Building, Community Development, Civil Society Capacity Building, Team Leadership, and Resource mobilisation.

He sits on various boards: chair of board of Cloud Six Eleven Investment Limited-a real estate investment company; member board of the Watakatifu Wote Center of the Catholic Diocese of Ngong-that offers hotel and retreat services; member of board of Democracy Trust Fund that offers support to women in political sphere.

Holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Economic Governance from USA; Master of Arts (Planning) from the University of Nairobi; Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Planning and Management) from Kenyatta University; Post Graduate Studies in GIS and Remote Sensing-from the University of Dare Salaam.

Yvonne Arunga, Country Director Kenya and Madagascar, Save the Children

Yvonne Arunga is Save the Children’s Country Director for Kenya and Madagascar. Ms Arunga has spent her 24 year career working across several countries in East and Southern Africa.  A highly accomplished leader in international development with expertise in working with INGOs at country, regional and global levels; Ms. Arunga is adept at leading to drive the achievement of strategic imperatives and increase operational efficiency.

Ms. Arunga is passionate about work that promotes the rights of children and other marginalised groups and is a keen advocate for the inclusion of these groups in shaping the solutions that target their needs. These groups stand to benefit the most, as they should, from well-designed social protection mechanisms. Ms Arunga believes that the development of a robust social protection framework will require sustained investment and commitment across a range of stakeholders; the Government, civil society organisations and the private sector and is keen on leveraging the experience of Save the Children to inform improvements in the social protection offer for the most vulnerable groups and in particular children.

Yvonne Arunga holds an MBA (Finance) from Oxford Brookes University.  In her spare time Ms. Arunga is an avid reader whose curiosity spans a significant number of subject areas.

Matthew Cummins

Matthew Cummins is a human capital economist currently serving as the Social Policy Regional Adviser with UNICEF’s Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office based in Kenya. He has previously worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank as well as the U.S. Peace Corps. He has contributed to 50+ publications on different socioeconomic issues and holds a master’s degree in international economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS.

Richard Obiga, Senior Programme Officer, National Social Protection Secretariat Kenya

Richard Obiga is currently a Senior Programme Officer working at the National Social Protection Secretariat under the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs in the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection in Kenya actively engaged in the area of formulation, development and review of Social Protection policies, strategies and frameworks. Also involved in and programme design and development. Richard has been in the public service for the last 13 years. He has participated in the development of a number of key Social Protection documents at both country and international levels in addition to participating in various national, regional and global forums on Social Protection. Has a keen interest on Sustainable Social Protection financing and the integrated approach to Social Protection programming

Dr. Ana Gabriella - Chief of Social Policy UNICEF Kenya

Gaby Guerrero Serdán is a development economist. She is currently Chief of Social Policy at UNICEF Kenya. She held similar positions with UNICEF Ethiopia, Madagascar, Peru and Kazakhstan.

Prior to joining UNICEF, Gaby was a research fellow at Yale University and taught at the University of London where she did her PhD. Before that, Gaby worked with UNDP, the UN missions, and NGOs in South East Asia and Eastern Europe on human development, poverty alleviation, conflict-resolution, community reintegration programs and governance.

Gaby holds a PhD in Economics from Royal Holloway, University of London, an MA in development studies from the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague and a BA in Economics from University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico.

Ms Juliet Maara, Social Protection and Healthcare Financing Expert - National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) - Kenya

Juliet is an accomplished Social Protection Specialist with over 15 years of experience, a proven track record of working in the fields of social health protection and healthcare financing. She is an expert in designing and implementing innovative healthcare financing and social health protection interventions that have had a transformative impact on the lives of poor and vulnerable communities.

She has been instrumental in the implementation of the first health insurance subsidy programs in Kenya targeting the most vulnerable segments of society, including children, women, persons with severe disability and the elderly.

Throughout her career, Juliet has acquired extensive knowledge of social protection policies and programs in various contexts, including developing and transition economies. She works closely with Government, international organizations, and UN agencies to assess and identify needs, design, and implement policies and programs, and evaluate their effectiveness.

Her experience has helped her develop a nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics that underlie social protection interventions and healthcare financing which bring sustainable improvements in people's lives.

Overall, Juliet is a dedicated and experienced social protection specialist and is a trusted partner and advisor to governments and organizations around the world.

Michael Kayemba, GiveDirectly - Director of Innovation

Michael is GiveDirectly’s Director of Innovation - in this role, he oversees the organization’s efforts at creating new products and services that enable GD to service recipients better. Prior to this he was the Uganda Country Director during which he led implementation of GD's largest roject focusing on refugees and host communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he raised GD Uganda's first institutional funds from USAID/FCDO and piloted using telco-data to enroll recipients en masse. Using this approach, GD Uganda was able to enroll (fraud-free) 55K recipients in 6 weeks. Michael also led efforts to reopen GD Uganda’s operations after the gov’t indefinitely suspended the organization’s operations.
Before his work at GiveDirectly, Michael was a process innovation advisor at CVS Health on operational efficiency and cost reduction projects. He also worked at Public Consulting Group advising state governments on improving social services programs.

Yetnebersh Nigussie - UNICEF Eastern and Southern African Regional Disability Inclusion Specialist

Yetnebersh Nigussie is a human rights  lawyer dedicating her life for ending all forms of inequalities and achieving a world inclusive for all. Born and raised in rural Ethiopia, Yetnebersh describes blindness as her opportunity for entering the path of education by escaping early marriage widely exercised in her village and in the country. She co-founded the Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD), through which she forged several structural and systemic changes in the lives of persons with disabilities in Ethiopia.

Through her effort to create an inclusive society, Yetneberesh has supported the development and implementation of disability inclusive social protection policies and programs in various countries in Africa and Asia.

Yetnebersh has received several awards for her outstanding achievements in the areas of disability inclusion including the Rights Livelihood Award, interchangeably known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, the Spirit of Hellen Keller award 2018 and many more.

Currently, she works at UNICEF at the regional office of Eastern and Southern Africa, providing guidance and leadership on how to include children and adolescents with disabilities in various programs including social protection.

Sylvia Mochabo Akinsiku

Founder Andy Speaks 4 Special Needs Persons Africa. Top 20 Influential Women of 2022 named by South Africa’s Thuba Pelo Mosadi Magazine. CEO Tech Hub Holdings Ltd trading as (TechHub Creations, Tech Events, TechHub Enterprises). Board Director at the National Council for Persons with Disabilities & chair of its Finance & Procuremnt committee. Rotarian at the Rotary Club of Muthaiga. Member East African Academies of Childhood Disability(EAACD) & Global Disability Summit - (GDS). Bestowed Lifetime Ambassador for Africa Pageants. Ms. Africa Elite 2020-2022, Queen of Africa 2022, Ms. Africa United Nation 2020-2022, Ms. Elite Face of Africa 2020-21. Former producer & TV Host of the first Neurodevelopmental disabilities debunking TV show - NeuroDigest on Signs TV
Appointments:
* Board member at Sense International Kenya
* Patron, Kenya Scouts Association - Makadara Sub-county (2020-2023)
* Ministry of Education - Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) Academic Committee member
* Ministry of Health - Division of Health Promotion Technical Working Group member
* Nairobi County Gender sector working group - Disability thematic Grp & Finance committees

Susan Momanyi, Social Protection Specialist - UNICEF Rwanda

Susan Is a professional in social policies with over ten years' worth of experience working in the Eastern African region's social protection, governance, and humanitarian sectors. Designing, putting into practice, organizing, and evaluating Social Protection and Nutrition programs with an emphasis on child rights approach, child vulnerability, and policy are the main areas of experience.

Currently working as a Social Protection Specialist in UNICEF supporting the Government of Kenya, United Nations agencies and sub national governments in Kenya to set up as well as manage social protection programmes. Notably, I am the UNICEF Kenya Disability Champion and Disability Focal point.

Victor William Malu, Consultant - Financial Sector Deepening Kenya

Victor is the co-author of the key principles required to build an Inclusive Financial System, Victor hopes to be part of the solution that drives value for a sustainable and inclusive digital economy across the continent. Having worked in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Seychelles, Mauritius, Botswana and Ethiopia., Victor will continue to contribute to financial systems development projects through his company, where he hopes to resolve financial challenges that affect the bottom of the pyramid, micro and small enterprises. With over 25 years in banking, 10 years in not-for-profit, and a total of 35 years collaborating with key players in Government and non-government organizations in the Financial Sector, Victor has made a tremendous impact in Digital Finance, Payments Systems, Policy & Regulation, Social Protection, Affordable Housing and Data. His most wins over the years include leading the collaborative Payment Association of Kenya team mandated to regulate retail payments per the NPS Act to delivering the 1^st digital credit solution (M-Shwari) that changed the face of consumer credit to having designed the Inua Jamii Choice model and then engaged with key decision-makers in the implementation of the solution. Bringing thought leadership to the sector, Victor was instrumental in the development of the Medium-Term Plan II & III for the financial sector as per vision 2030 for the National Treasury. Victor was instrumental in the development of the Central Bank of Kenya’s Vision & Strategy 2022 t0 2032. In addition, Victor conceptualized and designed the Pesalink solution before developing a business case and finally having the Kenya Bankers Association invest in the solution. Victor led efforts that finally successfully introduced financial literacy in both Primary and secondary schools and in addition worked with the Central Bank of Kenya and the Kenya Bankers Association to implement a Total Cost of Credit solution for the general public. Victor has also worked with the Competition Authority Of Kenya on many ground-breaking inquiries on bank interest rates, mobile money access as well as the leasing sector. Recently elected as the 1st Chairman of the Digital Finance Practitioners Association of Kenya. In addition to his wealth of experience, and years of training, Victor is noted as the 1^st Kenyan to be Certified as a Digital Finance Practitioner. Having worked for decades harnessing the power of markets to improve people’s lives, Victor leads Future Systems Consulting Ltd. to strategically improve financial infrastructures, guide high performing teams, engage with key players, and communicate learning and insights. Victor is a proven leader striving to improve tomorrow’s financial systems today.

Taddeo Muriuki, Chief Government Relations Officer - Village Enterprise

Taddeo Muriuki, is an experienced international development practitioner, has dedicated over 15 years of his career to working in Africa. Currently holding the position of Chief Government Relations Officer at Village Enterprise, Taddeo's primary objective is to enhance partnerships with African governments to expand poverty graduation initiatives in the continent. Taddeo previously held the roles of Chief Scaling Officer and Vice President for Africa Operations at Village Enterprise, where he led a team of over 400 individuals to effectively implement poverty graduation programs in East Africa. He has also served as the Country Director for Kenya.

Sheila Nkunika, Regional Social Protection Advisor- WFP

Sheila is Regional Social Protection Advisor for the WFP Regional Bureau in Nairobi and supports WFP’s social protection work across  East Africa. She holds an MSc in Poverty Reduction from the University of London, School of African and Oriental Studies Sheila has over 16 years’ experience designing and strengthening social protection systems across Africa. Working  with various organizations  including WFP, UNICEF, Save the Children and Government, she has supported social protection policy development, programme design, capacity building, systems strengthening and programme management across countries in West, East and Southern Africa.

Hellen Okoth Owiti, Programme Development & Quality Director - Save The Children East & Southern Africa

Hellen  is a  development practitioner and a feminist leader with 16 years’ experience in international development advancing human rights through high impact programming, advocacy and campaigns.  Hellen’s career path in human rights and social justice has seen her work across 3 continents in over 20 counties championing the rights of children and women through policy advocacy, post war reconstruction and  systems strengthening for the attainment of socio-economic rights.

Hellen works as the Director of Programme Development and Quality at Save the Children Kenya and Madagascar Country Office where she oversees the deployment of technical expertise in health, nutrition, WASH , Education, Livelihoods and Social protection, Child Protection, Advocacy and  Technology for Development . She provides leadership on digital innovations, evidence and learning as well as resource mobilization for development and humanitarian programming.

Previously Hellen worked as, among others,  the Director of Programme Implementation and Quality (Plan International Kenya), Senior Program Manager for Africa (Center for Reproductive Rights – Africa Regional Office), Director of Programmes (Trocaire – Kenya), Programme Development Manager (World Vision Sudan) and Partnerships Development Manager – Africa and Americas (ActionAid Global Secretariat).

Hellen holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of London, Master of Arts  in Development Studies from Department of International Development - Maynooth University (Ireland) and is a PhD candidate at the Department of Development Studies, University of South Africa (UNISA) where she is writing and researching on  adolescent reproductive justice in Kenya.

Enock Nyakundi, Child Poverty Technical Specialist, Kenya and Madagascar

Enock Nyakundi is an expert in Livelihoods, climate resilience and social protection with 14 years’ experience designing projects focused on integrated programming in both rural and urban areas based on livelihoods systems in multiple contexts including; West, East and Southern Africa and south Asia. Enock is presently supporting Kenya and Madagascar Child Poverty related programs-both humanitarian and development including CVA related programming. My role includes providing technical expertise in project design, implementation and sector coordination.

Prof. Collins Miruka, Professor & Director School of Business & Management Studies Technical University of Kenya

I am an accomplished Higher Education Executive and scholar with visionary and high-level leadership insights having risen to the level of a full professor in four Commonwealth universities. I have a proven record of accomplishment of providing exemplary teaching, research and consultancy services to a broad range of institutions, including universities, research firms and community service organizations. Academically, I am interested in the effectiveness of labour market and social protection policies on job quality and social conditions, with views to understanding what policies work and under what circumstances thereby contributing to national policy formulation. Within empirical labour economics, I am particularly interested in studying how labour market policies and phenomena of structural change affect labour market integration, with a focus on marginalized groups. I have conducted research on labour market implications of issues related to innovation in firms, international trade, social protection, and inequality.  In previous capacities, I have been responsible for developing work programs on skills development and apprenticeship systems, and on Industrial policies and capabilities for job creation. I have a solid knowledge of macroeconomic, employment and labour market issues in Sub Saharan Africa and have developed and contributed to the design and delivery of capacity building activities for tripartite constituents in the region. 

Sarah Mukisa, Head of MEAL, Research and Digital Innovations for Kenya and Madagascar

Sarah Mukisa is the Head of MEAL, Research and Digital Innovations for Kenya and Madagascar since 2017. Previously she was a MEAL Manager for the Earth Quake Response in Nepal with World Vision International and before then she was MEAL and Reporting Manager with Save the Children in Afghanistan. Sarah has been with Save the Children since 2013 and has Humanitarian and Development experience in MEAL in Africa and South Asia both at country office and at regional levels. She has supported the Kenya Country office to uplift technology for development, ensuring that programs are leveraging the available technological innovations to ensure quality, efficiency and greater impact for children. operational efficiency and cost reduction projects. He also worked at Public Consulting Group advising state governments on improving social services programs

Dr. Habil Olaka, Chief Executive Officer - Kenya Bankers Association

Dr. Olaka was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) in October 2010. He is responsible for the strategic direction of the Association, covering industry advocacy, development, and sustainability. Previously he was the Director of Operations of the East African Development Bank (EADB) based in Kampala after serving as the Resident Manager in Kenya. He earlier served the Bank as the Head of Risk Management and as the Chief Internal Auditor. Before joining the Bank, he had been with Banque Indosuez (now Bank of Africa) as the Internal Auditor. He started his career at the Price water house Coopers, Nairobi in the Audit and Business Advisory Services Division. He sits on a number of boards representing the KBA. These are Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC), Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), National Research Fund (NRF), Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), and the Anti-Money Laundering Advisory Board (AMLAB) as alternate to KBA Chairman. He is the National President of the Federation of Kenya Employers and the Chairman of the board of the Centre for Corporate Governance (CCG). He also sits on the board of the National Housing Corporation (NHC).

He holds a Doctor of Business Administration from USIU-Africa, a First-Class Honors BSc degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nairobi, and an MBA in Finance from the Manchester Business School in the UK. His DBA dissertation was on the influence of strategic leadership on the implementation of strategy in the commercial banks in Kenya. He is a member of the Institute of the Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK). He is an alumnus of the Strathmore School of Accountancy, a Certified Executive Coach and has a good command of the French language

Dan Ouko - Global Development Incubator

Mr. Dan Ouko is a seasoned international development professional with more than a decade of experience in sustainable livelihoods development. He has a strong background in utilizing graduation out of poverty models, cash-transfers, WASH concepts, and social protection approaches. He possesses the ability to conceptualize livelihoods holistically, taking into account their complexities, as well as the constraints and opportunities they present. Presently, Dan Ouko serves as the County Program Manager for the KSEIP-EIP pilot at Global Development Incubator. KSEIP-EIP is a World Bank funded pilot, implemented in partnership with Village Enterprise and BOMA, and is spearheaded by the Government of Kenya's Directorate of Social Protection.

Yulia Smolyar, Senior Social Protection Specialist - World Bank

Yuliya (Julia) Smolyar is a Senior Social Protection Specialist at the World Bank. She is currently leading the social protection engagement in Kenya and Rwanda. Before Africa region, Yuliya worked in the countries of Europe and Central Asia region. Over more than 15 years in the World Bank, she has gained extensive operational experience in the areas of social assistance, pensions, economic inclusion, social services, social protection delivery systems etc. Yuliya has led policy dialogue on pension reforms, social assistance targeting, adaptive safety nets, social protection financing. She has co-authored several World Bank`s publications and research papers on poverty targeting, social protection delivery systems, pensions. Yuliya holds a Ph.D. in economics from the Financial Research Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine

Dr. Milkah Kimonda Chebii - Financial Inclusion Expert

Milkah has had a distinguished career in the banking and financial services sector, with over 20 years of experience driving innovative financial solutions across various disciplines such as retail banking operations, risk management, and change management. She possesses a wealth of experience in designing and implementing social protection programs and payment solutions, leveraging private sector partnerships to deepen financial inclusion in Kenya. Milkah led the development and successful implementation of the Inua Jamii choice-based social payments delivery models in Kenya. She is also an expert in climate finance and has been involved in numerous initiatives aimed at assessing the market readiness for green bond instruments in Kenya. A certified Executive Coach involved in academic pursuits and community activities. She is passionate about using policy to address the needs of vulnerable and excluded populations, working towards a sustainable and inclusive growth.

Dr. Bob Muchabaiwa, Regional Policy Specialist - UNICEF

Bob Muchabaiwa is the Public Finance Specialist for UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) based in Nairobi, Kenya with over 20 years experience working on public financial management, poverty and child rights issues at national, regional and global levels. Bob has produced numerous working papers, research reports and policy briefs on debt, social sector spending, inequality amongst children, tax and children’s rights, and social accountability.  He holds a PhD in Development Studies (Political Economy of Public Spending in selected African Countries) from the University of  Johannesburg, South Africa.

Sapenzie Ojiambo - Calp Network

Sapenzie Ojiambo has more than 18 years’ experience in management of humanitarian and early recovery programmes in various contexts in Eastern Africa. Prior to joining the CALP Network, she worked on programme and contract management for a key donor working on Somalia. She has previously provided programmatic leadership for the development of an area-based programme humanitarian and early recovery area programme in South Sudan and designed and managed projects in the food security sector among other roles.

Luke Harman, Social Protection Specialist - UNICEF

Dr Luke Harman is a Social Protection Specialist with UNICEF Kenya. He holds a PhD and MSc in Development Economics from the University of London. Through his professional experience at UNICEF and previously in research, consultancy and with international development organisations, he has extensive experience spanning the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and policy issues in relation to child-sensitive social protection as well as agricultural and health input subsidies.

Peter Murgor CVA, Markets & Social Protection Manager, Kenya Red Cross Society/ International Center For Humanitarian Affairs (ICHA)

Peter Murgor is a Humanitarian Aid worker with 12 years of experience Disaster Management, Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA), linking humanitarian work to Social Protection, Sphere standards, Protection & Gender Inclusion and resilience building (DRR) in communities, besides capacity building teams and leaders towards impacting communities positively. He is a member of the Social Protection Community of Practice. Murgor is currently the Co-Chair of the Kenya Cash Working Group, Co-Chair of the Global Cash Peer Working Group of the RCRC Movement, a member of the UN-OCHA led Global Cash Advisory Group (CAG), and the Kenya for Resilience forum (K4R). He has been instrumental in and passionate about coordination of Social Protection work in Kenya, driving the agenda on how best humanitarian Cash actors and NGOs can have their work linked to Social Protection for greater impacts and outcomes at the community level.

Pauline Ngimwa, Acting Executive Director - Partnership for African & Governance Research

Dr Pauline Ngimwa is a Kenyan national with extensive work experience in the African Higher Education sector. An experienced practitioner and scholar in higher education and educational technology, she has led multi-national education and capacity strengthening projects in African Higher Education sector. Currently, she is the Acting Executive Director at the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), a role she combines with leading the conceptualization and delivery of experiential professional training programmes to early and mid-career researchers, academics and policy actors in Africa. She has been instrumental in the design and delivery of collaborative post-graduate programmes and PASGR including the Master of Research and Public Policy, The Doctoral in Public Policy and PhD fellowship programme. Before joining PASGR, she led the implementation of Open, Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) programmes at the African Virtual University. Her research interests include design and use of digital educational resources including Open Educational Resources (OERs) in African Higher Education. She has published in this area and peered reviewed for international journals. She is also a member of the Network of OERs and Multimodal Self-Directed Learning in Southern Africa (NOMSA) advisory board.

Francis Lukunga, Senior Social Welfare Officer - Government of Zambia

Francis Lukunga is a social protection specialist with 10 years of experience in the Social protection space. He is the technical lead for evidence generation and uptake under the Social Cash Transfer Programme Implemented by the Ministry of Community and Social Services. Francis has also worked on a number of shock responsive/emergence social cash transfer projects in terms of designing, operationalisation and monitoring and evaluation.

Francis values evidence as one of the cornerstones for informing policies and designing interventions. Evidence and knowledge generation through robust research and monitoring and evaluation have been some of the areas of contribution that he has made to the Social Protection sector in Zambia.

David Kamau, Social Protection Specialist

Kamau is a Social Protection Specialist with over 18 years of experience in Child Protection, Social Protection, humanitarian assistance and programme management. He has worked is several duty stations in Kenya and Liberia. In WFP – Kenya, he is the social protection portfolio lead and is outposted to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and oversees WFP’s social protection technical assistance for a select number of counties. He has significant interests in public policy and financial management, evidence generation, disability, and emerging issues affecting the most vulnerable populations.

Kamau holds a BA in Social Work and MA in Project Planning and Management. He is currently pursuing a MSC in Public Financial Management.

Gloria Ndekei - KEPSA Foundation

Ms. Gloria Ndekei OGW has over 28 valuable experience working for Women’s Socio-Economic and political Empowerment Programmes in Kenya; mobilizing Women for Sustainable livelihood initiatives, including forming Women led Business associations; Raising women’s awareness on economic opportunities in Kenya and coming up with innovative ways to promote the visibility of women in Kenya.  Gloria is currently the Executive Director of KEPSA Foundation. KEPSA Foundation is the social arm of KEPSA Business it works in 4 priority areas. 1, Governance, 2, Sustainability and climate action, 3, Women Leadership and Children and 4. Communities Outreach and Partnerships Gloria worked for the UN at the International Labour Organization for 9 1/2 years during which she coordinated the ILO Kenya Women’s Empowerment Programme (WEDGE) and headed the Women’s Economic Empowerment priority of the UN Joint Programme for Gender Equality (UNGEWE) for Three Years.  She was a signatory of the ILO Kenya account and a member of UNWOMEN ESARO Project Advisory Committee. Ms. Ndekei has a degree in Social Work from University of Nairobi with Post graduate training on Gender, from Turin Campus Italy. She is an ILO certified Master Trainer in Women’s Entrepreneurs Associations Capacity Building Tool. She is also an accredited trainer in a number of ILO’s Business Development Training tools. Gloria has completed a Master’s degree course in M.A Peace & Conflict Studies UON and is currently on her project Gloria has sat in several business committees both Government and the Private sector in Kenya; she has been in the leadership of KEPSA in different capacities since 2006. in the year 2012, Gloria was awarded a Presidential award, the ‘Order of the Grand Warrior’ (OGW) for her outstanding performance in Women’s Empowerment in Kenya. In 2015, she was appointed to join the Advisory Board of the Women Enterprise Fund as a Board Director.  Gloria got a second presidential appointment in 2019 to join the State Corporation’s Advisory committee (SCAC) and completed her term in 2022 .Gloria is married, she has four children.

Elizabeth N. Nkukuu CFA Ag. CEO Financial Inclusion Fund (Hustler Fund)

Elizabeth has close to Twenty years of experience in the Financial Services sector with a key focus on Investment Management in the Pension and Personal Wealth Creation programs.  Her Investment management career has seen her handle diverse projects and products globally. Elizabeth is passionate about helping people create businesses that last through training, coaching, and mentoring entrepreneurs. She has worked in some of the big investment corporates and has run a couple of businesses learning a lot from both worlds. Her combination of impressive professional and academic qualifications (She is a CFA and CPA (K) and currently finalizing her PhD in Finance) and the hands-on experience gained by running businesses, bring together a significant advantage of the theory and practical aspects of running successful businesses.

She is an author having published a book titled “Thrive” a book highlighting a step-by-step guide on wealth creation and financial freedom achievement.

Mr Anthony Munyiri, Chairperson, NSSF

Anthony has over 28 years of experience in the Securities and Investment Industry having started his career at Equity Stock Brokers Limited in 1994. He is the immediate former Chief Executive Officer of Globetec Asset Managers Ltd, a licensee of the Capital Markets Authority. Prior to that, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Securities Africa Kenya Limited, a licensed stockbroker by the Capital Markets Authority. He has also held the position of Associate Director Fixed Income at Standard Investment Bank, Head of Business Development Fixed Income at Faida investment Bank, and Retirement Specialist at American Express Financial Advisors in Minneapolis, USA.

He was formally on the Board of Trustees of the National Social Security Fund between the years 2017 and 2018, and is a Certified Trustee under the Trustee Development Program Kenya. Anthony is a member of the Institute of Certified Investment and Financial Analysts, Kenya Association of Stockbrokers and Investment Banks, and the Institute of Directors (Kenya). He has also attended several courses in corporate governance both locally and internationally. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, Master of Arts degree in Management, and a Master of Business Administration degree.

Jacqueline Mugo, Executive Director and CEO of the Federation of Kenya Employers

Mrs. Jacqueline Mugo is the Executive Director and CEO of the Federation of Kenya Employers.

An advocate of the High Court of Kenya with over 30 years Legal practice. She is also the Secretary-General of BUSINESSAfrica, a Titular Board member of International Labour Organization (ILO), the Vice President for Africa of the International Organization of Employers (IOE).

She plays a strong role in shaping labour and social policy on behalf of employers which has led to the adoption of numerous best practices by Employers in Kenya and beyond including the areas of Social Protection

Harun Maalim Hassan - Executive Director of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD)

Mr Harun Maalim Hassan is the current Executive Director of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD). He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environment Studies in Planning and Management, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration. He has more than 20 years’ experience in public service (central governance and field administration) and community work.

He also co-founded the Northern Nomadic Disabled Persons’ Organisation (Nondo) - an organisation focusing on persons with disabilities in nomadic communities.

He has served as a Public Administrator in the office of a District Officer, Commissioner with World Disability Union (WDU), a Ford Fellow at Indiana University (USA) and is a member of US-based global think-tank Association for Research on non-profit and Volunteer Association (ARNOVA), and continental think-tank Association for Research on Civil Society in Africa (AROCSA). Mr. Hassan is a member of the 39^th University Governing Council for the Management University of Africa.

He is also a certified Motivation-UK peer educator. Hassan writes extensively about disability and does talks on the same. He has also authored Behind the Wheels: Changing the Disability Narrative, a book published by the Kenya Literature Bureau that seeks to tell the story of disability differently.