Our team

We are a multidisciplinary team, bringing together social workers, nutritionists, agribusiness, agrarian change, and gender specialists.

Firminus Mugumya

Firminus Mugumya is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at
Makerere University. Firminus holds a PhD from the Dublin City University and a Masters in
Development Studies from Erasmus University, The Netherlands. Dr Mugumya’s research interests
revolve around rural community grassroots development and empowerment. Dr. Mugumya has
published widely on issues related to parenting, child welfare and gender relations in Uganda rural
areas.

Daniel Lumonya

Daniel Lumonya holds a PhD in Development Sociology from Cornell University, a Masters in Social Sector Planning and Management and a BA in Social Work and Social Administration from Makerere University. Daniel is a Senior Lecturer and Head of Dept at UTAMU (Uganda Technology and Management University. His research interests evolve around agrarian change in rural contexts, and the intersection of power, politics, and rural social transformation. Daniel Lumonya will support all aspects of the project, from planning, through data collection and public outreach.

Donald Kugonza

Donald Kugonza is an Associate Professor of Animal breeding, Genetics and Apiculture at Makerere University in Uganda. He holds a B.Sc. in Agriculture, M.Sc. in Animal Science, MBA in International Business and a PhD specializing in Animal Breeding and Genetics. He coordinates a Service Learning Internship Program, a 15-year collaboration between Makerere University and Iowa State University, USA. His major research interests are in increasing agricultural productivity through performance improvement of a wide array of African Animal Genetic Resources.

Peace Musimenta

Peace Musimenta is an Associate Professor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies at Makerere University. Peace is the project’s gender expert. She ensures that the project has a gender mainstreaming plan at project inception, will train of village level extension staff regarding how to apply the Harvard Gender Analysis Framework, and advise the project on how to address unequal ownership, control and access of chicken and chicken projects among women, men, and children.

Patrick Barasa

Patrick Barasa is a qualified Veterinary Specialist and is the district focal person for the project. He is the liaison with all levels of local government and will coordinate activities with local government and other stakeholders. Patrick will play a role in the projects sustainability planning and financial feasibility studies. Patrick brings to the project a strong background in Veterinary Medicine, and keen interest in free-range chicken promotion.

Sheilla Natukunda

Sheilla Natukunda is a PhD candidate in the School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bioengineering at Makerere University. Sheilla is the project’s nutritionist. She will work collaboratively with local extensions staff and the project team to establish recommended nutritional intake for under-five children, develop protocols for proper child feeding and to contribute to designing the project baseline nutritional surveys.