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.

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.

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’.

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.

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 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. 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.

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.

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.

Dr. Asha Mohammed, Secretary General, Kenya Red Cross Society

Dr Asha Mohammed is the Secretary General of Kenya Red Cross Society. She has over 25 years diverse experience working within Humanitarian and Government institutions. She has served in different capacities within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement including; Movement Partnerships Advisor for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC} Geneva, Head of Operations for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Africa Zone office in Johannesburg, Head of Eastern Africa zone office in Nairobi and Deputy Secretary General and Head of Programmes in Kenya Red Cross, among others. Dr. Asha also served as Chair of the
IFRC Health Commission at global level and a chair of the RCRC Pan African Coordination Team that is responsible for monitoring of commitments made by African National Societies. Before her role in the Red Cross she served in various capacities in the Ministry of Health and National AIDS Control Council in Kenya.

Dr Asha has been instrumental in reshaping the strategic direction and growth of the KRCS Programming and institutional strengthening especially in building strong Red Cross branches as the fundamental units of delivering the services of the National Society. She is passionate about creating vibrant, authentic, and sustainable communities. She has led integrated and complex humanitarian and development programmes responding to community needs while exhibiting a flair of innovation, inclusion of marginalized groups, environmental sensitivity and emerging issues. She strongly believes that the most successful projects involve meaningful public
engagement ensuring community voices are heard. She believes in the power of women and young people.

She holds a Master's degree in International Executive Management, a Master's degree in Public Health and a Bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery.