Council Members - Amref International University (AMIU)

September 2026 Intake Ongoing

Apply Now

Skip to content

General Enquiries

enquiry@amref.ac.ke
+254 794377 643/931

Admissions Enquiries

amiuadmissions@amref.ac.ke
+254 112 352 343

About AMIU
Study at AMIU
Students
Research
Library
Media Centre
Donate

About AMIU
Study at AMIU
Students
Research
Library
Media Centre
Donate

Muthoni Kuria

Chairperson

Muthoni Kuria

Chairperson

Muthoni Kuria (Mrs) is a general management practitioner with expertise in Finance and strategy. She is a Certified Public Accountant (K) and holds a Master of Business Administration from Leicester University. She is a business executive and founder of businesses including Reata Properties Ltd which owns and runs a hospitality arm under the brand names Reata and Nabo. She left the Banking industry in 2009 having held positions of Managing Director in Southern Credit Bank, Executive Director and Chief Accountant, Senator Cards. She has also worked with the Insurance Industry at American Life Insurance Company as a Senior Accountant.

Prof Kennedy Otwombe

Council Member

Prof Kennedy Otwombe

Council Member

Kennedy Otwombe PhD (Biostatistics) is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and lead statistician at the Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), Chris Hani Academic Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand, Chair of the Research and Academic Committee of the AMREF International University Council and Consultant Biostatistician at the Design, Analyze and Communicate team of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Washington Seattle, USA. Professor Otwombe is dedicated to building capacity for public health in Africa through training of postgraduate students at various local, regional and international institutions. He has several years of experience working as a biostatistician in the field of HIV and TB research across different populations, socio-behavioral research and currently on climate health.

Dr George Kimathi

Council Member

Dr George Kimathi

Council Member

Dr George Kimathi is an accomplished health development specialist with over 18 years experience in design and implementation of integrated public health programs. He has hands-on experience in core Primary Health Care methodologies with particular interest in contextualized innovations for delivering Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Sub-Saharan Africa. George is the Director, Amref Institute of Capacity Development (ICD) providing overall leadership to Amref’s Human Resources for Health (HRH) agenda. Additionally, he oversees diverse health education and training programmes spanning over 20 countries in Africa. Further, he provides oversight to Amref Health Africa’s Malawi, Zambia and Senegal Field Offices. Previously, he held prime team leadership roles in various International NGOs and the Government of Kenya. He holds a PhD, MSc and BSc degree in Epidemiology and Public Health and is a Health Systems Development and Management adjunct Lecturer at Amref International University.

Jennifer Peng

Council Member

Jennifer Peng

Council Member

Jennifer Peng brings extensive financial leadership and strategic expertise to Amref Health Africa, with a proven track record of driving organizational excellence across both corporate and nonprofit environments. Her deep understanding of complex financial operations and international markets aligns perfectly with Amref's mission to transform health outcomes across Africa. Most recently, Jennifer served as Vice President of Finance - Programs at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), where she led regional finance teams and collaborated with program leaders to enhance financial transparency and strengthen reporting systems.

Prof. Jelle Stekelenburg

Council Member

Prof. Jelle Stekelenburg

Council Member

Prof. Jelle Stekelenburg combines his job as Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Medical Centre Leeuwarden with holding a chair as Professor International Aspects of Reproductive Health, in particular Safe Motherhood, at the University of Groningen. His professional drive is based on, on one hand, the observation that motherhood is still not safe for many underprivileged women all over the world, but mainly in low resource settings, and, on the other hand, acknowledgment of the right to access the best possible standard of maternal health. State parties, governments, multilateral health organisations and individual health professionals have the immediate obligation to work on the progressive realisation of the highest possible standard of reproductive, sexual and maternal health.

Ms. Janet W. Kimani

Council Member

Ms. Janet W. Kimani

Council Member

Ms. Janet W. Kimani is a Council Member at AMREF International University. She also serves on the Boards of The League of Friends of Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) Trust, and Strathmore University Alumni Association, where she supports fundraising, stakeholder engagement, alumni relations, and community health initiatives. Janet has over 25 years of experience in strategic communications, reputation management, and business development, and is currently leading Levanter Africa, advising corporates, SMEs, and not for profit organisations on growth strategy and reputation leadership. She is also an advocate for renewable energy adoption, promoting solar solutions for homes and commercial enterprises and supporting the transition to clean, reliable, and affordable power systems. A passionate mentor, she supports women in navigating career growth, leadership development, and balancing family and professional ambitions—reflecting her commitment to cultivating resilient, values-driven leaders.

Yemeserach Belayney

Council Member

Yemeserach Belayney

Council Member

emeserach Belayney Mengistu brings over two decades of experience working in population and reproductive health programs, policy advocacy, and representation. She operationalizes the David and Lucile Packard Foundation Sub-Saharan Africa grant making activities and other investments. She represents the Foundation in dialogues with the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, donor community, and regional entities. She serves as the primary point of contact for the Foundation’s grantees, conducts regular project monitoring visits, identifies potential partners and learning opportunities.

Amuhaya D. Barasa

Company Secretary

Amuhaya D. Barasa

Company Secretary

Amuhaya D. Barasa heads both the Company Secretarial and Legal Advisory functions at Amref Health Africa and Amref International University. She has immense knowledge and over 7 years of experience in corporate legal, company secretarial, corporate governance and NGO legal advisory services. Ms Barasa is responsible for creating and structuring of a vibrant functional legal department for the organization. Before commencing her role at Amref Health Africa, Amuhaya was the Acting Company Secretary at Mumias Sugar Limited where she was responsible for their Litigation Management, Compliance Management system, legal due diligence, drafting and vetting of various legal agreements among other roles.

Prof Joachim Osur

Ex-Officio Member

Prof Joachim Osur

Ex-Officio Member

Prof Joachim Osur is the Vice Chancellor, Amref International University. A respected educator, researcher and health professional with a wide experience of the African context, he is a Professor of Sexual and Reproductive Health; a public health and reproductive health practitioner, and a Sexual Medicine specialist. He is widely published in peer reviewed journals, has written books in his area of specialization and is a regular sexual health educator in popular print and audiovisual media. Among others, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery, a Master’s Degree in Public Health, and a PhD in reproductive health; a certification as a Sexologist by the American Board of Sexologists, and a Fellowship of the Multidisciplinary Joint Committee on Sexual Medicine as designated by the European Union of Medical Specialists

GENERAL Enquiries

enquiry@amref.ac.ke
Northlands, Thika Road

+254 794 377 643/931

Admission Enquiries

+254 112352343
+254 112352343
amiuadmissions@amref.ac.ke

SHORT COURSES

+254 (20) 699 3218
+254 (20) 699 3122
training@amref.ac.ke

Quick Links

Careers
Our Courses
HEF/HELB Portal

General Enquiries

enquiry@amref.ac.ke
+254 794 377 643
+254 794 377 931

Admission Enquiries

+254 112352343
+254 112352343
amiuadmissions@amref.ac.ke

Quick Links

Contact Us
Careers
Tenders
HEF/HELB Portal

© Copyright Amref International University 2026

#AMIU

AI Assistant Online

Connecting to #AMIU...

About AMIU
Study at AMIU
Students
Research
Library
Media Centre
Donate

Student Portal
Staff Portal
Apply Courses Online
Library