Meet the team

We rely on the following Members of society for advise and support

01

Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng

Interim Chair of the Board

A self-driven and motivated human rights defender Ruth’s strength lies in peace building, and spearheading alliances to form collaborative agendas between the marginalized, the elite and policymakers, so as to challenge injustices, prejudice, taboos and stigma related to women survivors of violence, and in particular, those in situation of armed conflicts. She holds a Masters in Communications Policy Studies from City University London and a B.Sc. in Applied Social Sciences (Information and Communications), from the then Polytechnic of North London. Ruth has also undertaken several short courses in Gender Analysis, Human Rights, Advocacy, and Peace Building and Conflict Resolution.

02

Dr. Fina Opio

Member

Dr. Fina Opio is the Executive Director of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA). She holds a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania, a Masters of Science in Crop Science from Nairobi University, Kenya and Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Makerere University – Uganda. Fina is highly knowledgeable in plant pathology, bacteriology, participatory agricultural research, technology development and dissemination, rural development and Gender issues. She has published over 30 papers in international scientific journals and over 60 papers in conference / workshop proceedings.

03

Paul Sigombe

Member

Paul is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the management consulting industry. He is skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Food Security, Business Planning, Coaching, and Team Building. A graduate of Makerere University, Paul brings strong business development skills.

04

Faith Ngaira

Member

Faith earned her Bachelors Degree in Electric Engineering from the University of Nairobi in 1976, becoming the first female in East Africa to qualify at this level in this field. Faith is Chief Technologist, Department Of Electrical And Power Engineering and Lecturer at Kenya Polytechnic University College. In her free time Faith is a practicing farmer in Kakamega, Western Kenya, who brings a wealth of experience at senior management level and farming systems.

05

Dr. Gilbert Maiga

Member

Gilbert Maiga (PhD) is Dean and Associate Professor at the School of Computing and informatics Technology at Makerere University’s College of Computing and Information Sciences. His main areas of expertise are information systems evaluation, data integration using ontology, e-health and e-Government systems development and adoption. He is a co- chair of the Development Informatics Research Group at the school of computing and Informatics technology, Makerere University—a multi-disciplinary Research Group that focuses on the study and creation of Information Systems that address socio-economic issues. In addition to his PhD, Dr. Maiga holds a Master of Science (Physiology), University of Nairobi Kenya, and a Bachelor of Veterinary Science, Makerere University, Uganda.

05

Teopista Birungi

Member

Birungi Teopista is a practicing farmer in Dabani Sub-county in Busia District. Teopista has been quite active in her community leading several research and agricultural focused community level activities. Birungi brings a wealth of experience in community level work and activism.

06

Catherine Barasa Asekenye

Member

Catherine is a Senior Social Development Specialist at the World Bank, Kampala Uganda. Catherine holds a Master of International Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia. Catherine’s areas of expertise include capacity building training, policy analysis, gender mainstreaming for social development and public health promotion.