Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), in partnership with the Centre for Health Professions Education (CHPE) at North-West University (NWU), has been selected as a Partner Institution under the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Regional Office (AFRO) Network of Partner Institutions for Health Systems.
The selection establishes a strategic East–Southern Africa collaboration focused on strengthening health workforce development, with particular emphasis on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). The designation follows a highly competitive process that attracted a large number of high-quality submissions from institutions across the continent.
In its communication to the successful applicants, the WHO AFRO selection committee cited the strength of the proposal and the consortium’s commitment to advancing health systems in the region. The project has been recommended for a substantial grant award, subject to completion of contractual processes.
Under the approved proposal, NWU’s CHPE will lead the development of continental education and training standards aimed at harmonizing the preparation of health professionals across Africa. JKUAT’s Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences (STACS) will lead operational and policy-oriented research to generate evidence for health workforce retention, deployment, productivity and investment efficiency.
JKUAT’s role is anchored in applied, data-driven health systems research. STACS has built a strong reputation in quantitative health workforce analysis, with expertise in predictive modelling and decision-support analytics for Human Resources for Health.
Through advanced statistical modelling, scenario forecasting and return-on-investment analysis, the project will support the government in addressing persistent workforce challenges, including retention of skilled personnel in underserved areas, optimal staffing mixes for SRHR facilities and the impact of continuous professional development on maternal and reproductive health outcomes.
The Principal Investigator of the project, Dr. Joseph K. Mung’atu, a senior statistician at the University, said the initiative will generate region-wide evidence to directly inform policy decisions on health workforce planning and investment, with particular focus on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights service delivery.
The Dean, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Prof. Anthony Waititu, who is also a member of the project team, said the selection affirms JKUAT’s shift toward solutions-oriented research that directly supports policy and health systems reform.
He added that the partnership demonstrates the growing capacity of African institutions to generate and apply home-grown evidence in shaping the continent’s health systems.
The JKUAT team brings together expertise in statistics, financial modelling, economics, and human resource management. Other members of the project from JKUAT include Dr. Charity Wamwea, Chair of STACS and Co-Principal Investigator; Dr. Jane A. Akinyi; Dr. Winnie Chacha; Dr. Ann Omamo; Dr. Matabel Odin; Mr. Henry Kissinger Ochieng; and Ms. Caro W. Mugo.