Directors

CHRISTINE KIRUNGA TASHOBYA is a health planning, management and financing specialist, with academic training in medicine and demography (MBChB and MA Makerere Univ. Uganda) and health policy, planning and financing (MSc London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK). Christine has experience in the Uganda health sector at various levels from implementation to policy formulation & monitoring. She has acquired extensive exposure to health systems of developing countries in the last 20 years, working with developing country governments in the Africa region (Uganda, Mozambique), bilateral and multilateral agencies (DFID, DANIDA, UNICEF, WHO) as well as international NGOs, consultancy firms and academic institutions (Oxford Policy Centre, LATH, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine). She has worked within Government, as an external consultant, and recently as an adviser performing dual roles. Since 2002 Christine has been a visiting lecturer at Uganda Martyrs Univ. Nkozi, in the Faculty of Health Services Management. Her particular areas of expertise include: health financing – establishment & abolition of user fees; government budget and donor project management; national health accounts; public private partnerships for health; national and local government health system performance assessment. Christine is currently interested in documentation and sharing of the health sector reforms that have taken place in developing countries like Uganda, and building systems for routine health systems performance assessment.

VINCENT OWARWO MUGUMYA is a medical doctor (MBChB Makerere Univ. Uganda) with 30 years experience in health system development, decentralization, primary health care, human resource development, national health policy development and implementation and program coordination. Vincent has a Masters in Public Health from San Diego State University (USA). He has worked at the implementation (medical superintendent, district medical officer) policy formulation and advisory levels (expert consultant with JSI, WHO, MOH, DFID, World Bank, AMREF). Vincent provided long term technical assistance for development of district health systems in a regional cluster of districts and addressed the challenges of newly decentralised service delivery, infrastructure rehabilitation, and combating the HIV-AIDS epidemic in the 1990s as a counterpart project director in the 10-year Rural Health Programme supported by the European Development Fund. He also has experience in planning and budgeting for health services, refuge health services, and monitoring and evaluation. Vincent has most recently been involved in developing and implementing a performance management, monitoring, and reporting program, for collecting, reporting, and validating data on HIV/AIDS programs in Uganda. He was responsible for overall management and technical direction, and coordinating monitoring and reporting by large group of implementing partners, liaising with the PEPFAR team leader at the US mission, and compliance with USAID policies and regulations.

Associates

Grace Nyerwanire Murindwa is a health planner and management specialist. He has received training in medicine (MBChB Makerere Univ. Uganda), and in health management, planning & policy (MA, Nuffield Institute for Health, Univ. of Leeds, UK) and regular updates through short courses. He has twenty five years’ experience of developing countries health systems. Grace has worked with and for developing country governments (Uganda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe) bilateral and multilateral agencies (GAVI, WHO, UNICEF, EU, DFID) and international NGOs and consulting firms (CARE, HLSP, IDS). His particular areas of expertise are: Health SWAps, managing decentralized health systems including planning and performance assessment by local governments; monitoring health system reforms. In Uganda, Grace played a key role in preparation of the sector’s strategic and operational plans, organising annual joint reviews of the sector and annual health sector performance reports; leading the secretariat for implementing sector reforms, and interacting with health development partners. At the same time, Grace has actively engaged in provision of technical backstopping to districts and capacity building through training programmes in health planning, organisation and management. Grace has special interest in developing strong and robust health systems in developing countries. He has served as a member of the Independent Review Committee for GAVI. Grace believes in evidence based policy and strategies and that operational research should guide policy formulation.

Hanif Nazerali is a health systems consultant offering a broad set of technical and analytic skills developed through long-term technical assistance and research, a Masters in International Health and Development (Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, USA) and a professional qualification in pharmacy (Univ. of Bath, UK). He has twenty five years’ experience in the health sector, working for government, as an adviser for international development agency (DANIDA), and in international organisations offering research and consulting services (WHO, MSH, FHI). Hanif is adapted to working in culturally diverse settings and often challenging environments in countries of both North (UK, USA) and South (Zimbabwe, Nepal, Uganda and Tanzania). His areas of specialisation include developing systems for medicines financing and provision, reproductive health programmes, and evaluation research. Hanif sees the need for sustained investment in the sector for improved health outcomes, while recognising the importance of positive and incremental change and some impact in the medium term. He believes this requires a focus on priority interventions with efficiency gains from systems strengthening and capacity building components, and a sound approach to partnership. He supports the aim of harmonization and alignment for improved aid effectiveness, having gained an appreciation of the various modes of development assistance including projects, the sector-wide approach, and an understanding of ‘what works’ in East and Southern Africa. He is involved in governance of the Aga Khan Foundation’s social development programmes in East Africa.

Juliet Bataringaya Wavamunnho is a health systems expert with 15 years experience in planning, organization and monitoring of national and district health systems. Juliet has specifically focused on functionality of district health systems in the areas of organization, planning, budgeting, mechanisms for supervision and monitoring, evaluation, health information management, improving health service outputs and mainstreaming community initiatives. She is trained in medicine (MB ChB Makerere Univ. Uganda) and in health policy, planning and financing (MSc London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK). She has also had training and practical experience in the development, analysis and review of national policies and plans, national health accounts, strengthening the public private partnership in health including collaboration with NGOs and the private sector and human resource for health development. Juliet has experience working for governments and multilateral organizations (WHO) in Uganda, Zimbabwe, Congo-Brazzaville and Yemen. Working as a health systems expert in the WHO Uganda Country Office, she has supported the Ministry of Health in strengthening national and district health systems, engaged with health development partners and facilitated WHO’s role in working within SWAp structures, and provided support to technical programmes in the health systems cluster within WHO. Juliet is a guest lecturer at the Makerere School of Public Health (MPH programme) and at Uganda Martyrs Univ, Nkozi (MSc Health Services Management). She is currently interested in documenting the impact of Global Health Initiatives on the health systems in developing countries.

Bakeera Solome Kiribakka is a Medical doctor with Master degrees in Public Health and Epidemiology. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate degree in Public Health. She has worked with the Ministry of health and served as a Senior Health Planner; served at the Malaria Consortium as a Health Systems Specialist; she is currently a Research Coordinator at the department of Health Policy, Planning and Management at the School of Public Health Makerere University. She has over 15 years of experiences working within the local governments, public service and non-governmental organisations in Uganda with extensive consultancy services for various multi-lateral and bilateral organisatons.

Siziya Seter is currently an associate professor of Medical Biostatistics, and a chartered Statistician of the Royal Statistical Society she holds a doctorate degree in Biology. She is a Professor of Medical Biostatistics in the Zambia University, and visiting professor at the university of Bergen, Sweden. She has served in several senior positions of responsibility in the universities of Zambia and Zimbabwe, immensely contributing to the body of knowledge regarding tobacco use especially among the youth and adolescent and made several scientific publications in this field and a member of several professional bodies. She is a reviewer for many other scientific journals.

Adamson Muula is a Senior lecturer and Deputy Dean in the department of Community and Public Health, University of Malawi College of Medicine. He holds a Doctorate degree in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An experience of over twelve years, he has published extensively on the use of tobacco smoke especially among young people across the world. He is a member of the editorial board for several journals and belongs to many other professional bodies.

Gilbert Muyambi a Social Scientist by training is currently concluding a Master Degree course in Management Studies from the Uganda Management Institute in Kampala, Uganda. He has had a series of international exposures in tobacco control; he has attended several tobacco-related courses in relation to International Tobacco Control at the Tobacco Control Academy in the United States, Southern Africa and Asia and served as a Survey administrator in the Global Youth Tobacco Survey in Uganda. He was a member of the Implementation of Regulations on Second Hand Smoke by Uganda National Environment Management Authority. (NEMA). Gilbert served as a consultant in the development and streamlining of the Village Health Team (VHT), a community-based approach, project in Uganda.

Dr Edward Kanyesigye holds a Master degree in Public Health from the University of Adelaide, Australia. He has served in different capacities in both government and non-governmental organisations for over 25 years. At the time of his retirement from public service he had risen to the positions of Assistant Commissioner at the Ministry of Health of Uganda serving in the Nutrition division and curative services. He was also a focal point contact for the ‘Tobacco or Health’ Activities at the Uganda Ministry of Health. A founding member and secretary General of the Public Health Specialists Association, Edward is now a senior lecturer and head of Health Sciences Department at the Uganda Christian University.

Judith Kiiza Kyakulaga is a self motivated and result orientated accountant with over thirteen years work experience, who has risen through the ranks working with a cross-section of governmental and non-governmental and para-statal organisations. She is currently engaged with Health Sector Programme Support Danida (HSPS III) in the Ministry of Health of Uganda. Judith holds a Master degree in Business Administration from Herriot Watt University Edinburgh. Her main expertise is in planning, budgeting, procurement, and very well versed with monitoring utilisation of donor funds channelled through various funding modalities. She is highly knowledgeable in international accounting Standard and procedures, establishing and implementing effective internal controls and very familiar with the different relevant computer packages like Navision Financials, FLIT (Field Logging Information Transactions) and Busy (Budget Systems), Sun Accounting software and Microsoft word, excel, power point.

Olle Henriksson has been working in the field of financial management for more than 30 years including 10 years as an auditor for Ernst & Young. He has spent 11 years working in developing countries both in Asia and Africa. In his positions as financial management advisor with the Ministry of Health in Vietnam and Uganda, representing 8 years of experience both at the national and district level, Olle has provided expertise and capacity building in health systems, financial management and monitoring, budgeting and budget management, general and cost accounting, auditing, training and support of staff in various organizations in the health sector. He has also been involved in monitoring of public sector medicines procurement and tracking from the central level to the end user health facilities, including training, support and supervision of staff in stores management. Olle also has had substantial experience in the private sector, holding various positions including financial controller for a multinational company of Swedish origin in Vietnam, and hands-on management of private and government grants, and investment and asset management. He has effective communication skills and relates well to colleagues from varied professional and social backgrounds. Olle believes that effective financial management including strict investment and asset management, and internal controls to ensure appropriate utilization of financial resources are just as important in the health sector.

Geoffrey N. Kakira is a procurement specialist with 20 years’ experience in full-time positions including 10 years in the parastatal, National Water and Sewage Corporation and 4 years at the newly established Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) as the manager responsible for training and capacity building, implementing programmes supported by UNDP and the Gov’t of Belgium, and as a ‘developer’ of tools and procedures. Geoffrey was the focal person for a USAID-funded anti-corruption threshold project, and supervised a capacity needs assessment for central government entities. Geoffrey’s solid employment record is been founded on his professionalism, integrity and positive attitude, as well as competency in procurement, stores and general management, and an aptitude for training. Geoffrey is a corporate member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (MCIPS), and obtained his graduate diploma in purchasing and supply from CIPS (UK) in 1997. He is also a member of Institute of Procurement Professionals of Uganda (IPPU). Geoffrey has continued his professional education in Business Management through postgraduate studies, obtaining a PG Diploma in from Makerere Univ.- Uganda Management Institute (1992) and a Masters in Management Studies (Business Management) in 2002. He practices his belief in continuing education and professional development, regularly attending short courses, most recently in M&E (2008) and Procurement of Works and Consultancy Services (2007), both at the Eastern and Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI). In the last few years, Geoffrey has undertaken part-time consultancy and advisory services, including guiding the successful construction of a modern warehouse through a committee of the BoD of Joint Medical Store, Kampala.