DR. NJERI GITAU – TRUSTEE

Areas of Expertise
Global Health Systems Strengthening
Private Health Sector Development
Policy Formulation, Development And Regulatory Reform
Healthcare Financing

I am an Award- Winning Public health specialist and a Rockefeller fellow on social innovation with over 18 years’ experience in the health sector. I have wide experience and in-depth knowledge of the public and private sectors in Africa and other emerging markets. My expertise is in global health systems strengthening, private health sector development, policy formulation and development, regulatory reform with a focus on quality of care, community health systems and healthcare financing. I am currently working in the Office of the President, Kenya, Presidents’ Delivery Unit as a Senior Director, I also serve on the Global Fund Technical Review panel as resilient and sustainable health systems expert and previously worked for the World Bank Group as a Senior Health Specialist, on Health Programs in the African Region, as programme manager at AMREF Health Africa and at Ministry of Health in various capacities up to National level. I chair the board of Nairobi Waldorf School Trust, non-executive director of the Center for International Health and Biosecurity-Kenya and Board advisor to Savannah Informatics. I hold a medical degree from Makerere University, Kampala Uganda and a postgraduate diploma and Masters of Science in Public health from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine – University of London. I am a mother of three, I love adventure travel, gardening, cooking, reading and I am a self- taught sommelier

While at the world bank I achieved several policy and regulatory reforms namely, The Kenya Health Act 2017 which influenced the Nigeria Health Act; a regulatory framework for quality of care and patient safety piloted and scaled up in Kenya and adopted/replicated in Uganda and Mali; Managed Equipment Scheme a transformative $500m PPP in Kenya a first in Africa now being replicated across the region. I shaped private sector integration into National Health Systems in the East Africa region through establishment and strengthening Public Private Dialogue platforms in (Ethiopia and Kenya respectively) including private sector participation in policy and regulatory reforms and received an inaugural international Public Private Dialogue award for this work. I lead several health care financing reform initiatives such as reforms of the National Hospital Insurance Fund including its’ Free Maternity Program – ‘’Linda Mama” and development of its’ Supa Cova National benefit package.

Prior to joining WBG, I was a programme manager at African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) – where I managed two large national programs focusing on strengthening the national HIV&AIDS M&E framework and health care provider capacity and strengthening organizational and technical capacity of community-based organizations through a grant making and capacity building programme. I was also the gender focal point at AMREF Kenya.

I have worked at the Ministry of health in Kenya, in the sector monitoring and planning department at national level and as a District Medical Officer of Health in charge of all health service delivery and provision where working jointly with stakeholders I transformed the district health system which had a significant impact on the health outcome indicators of the district.

As the board chair of Nairobi Waldorf School Trust I have Streamlined the Financial Management System; Steered registration of the Waldorf Curriculum with National Ministry of Education; Strengthened the academic leadership to improve quality of education; Created links for mentorship and other partnerships with the Federation of South African Waldorf Schools; Initiated Establishment of the first Waldorf High School in East Africa and Steered Development of the Strategic plan 2019 to 2024. As an advisor to the board of Savannah Informatics I advise on the policy and regulatory environment in the health sector and business development through my networks nationally and internationally. Non-executive board director for Center for International Health Education and Bio-security Kenya.