UoN Leads Groundbreaking Initiative to Advance African Women’s Health Education

The University of Nairobi has taken a significant step towards transforming women's health education and research in Africa following a high-level stakeholder consultation on the proposed Bachelor of Science (BSc) and Master of Science (MSc) in African Women's Health programmes.

The consultative forum, held on June 11, 2026, brought together more than 65 participants from government agencies, academia, development partners, professional associations, civil society organisations, and the health sector to review and provide input on the pioneering programmes.

The proposed degree programmes are a joint initiative of the Department of Public and Global Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences and the African Women's Studies Centre (AWSC), positioning the University of Nairobi as a trailblazer in developing specialised academic pathways dedicated to African women's health.

Speaking during the event, Vice Chancellor Prof. Ayub Gitau reaffirmed the University's commitment to generating African-led solutions to the continent's health challenges.

"The University of Nairobi is committed to producing African evidence, African scholarship, and African leadership in response to the challenges facing women and girls across the continent," said Prof. Gitau.

The proposed programmes seek to address a longstanding gap in health education by training professionals equipped with the knowledge and skills to understand, research, and respond to the unique health needs of African women throughout their life course. Currently, no dedicated undergraduate or postgraduate programme exists in Kenya focusing specifically on African women's health.

Participants heard that African women continue to experience disproportionate health burdens and inequities, underscoring the urgency of developing specialised expertise in the field. Discussions highlighted pressing challenges including maternal mortality, gender-based violence, reproductive health concerns, and the limited research attention given to conditions such as fibroids, endometriosis, and menopause-related disorders.

Presenting on the broader context, Dr. Nancy Baraza, former Deputy Chief Justice and Chairperson of the Presidential Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence including Femicide, noted the alarming rise in cases of violence against women and called for stronger integration of gender-based violence issues within health training programmes.

"Gender-based violence should not be treated as a standalone topic but should be embedded throughout the curriculum," Dr. Baraza said.

The consultation attracted representatives from the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, UNICEF, UN Women, the Gates Foundation, the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), FIDA Kenya, the Kenya Women Parliamentarians Association, the Kenya Medical Women's Association, Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), Johns Hopkins University, among other institutions.

AWSC Director Prof. Wanjiku Kabira stressed on the importance of centering African women's lived experiences in addressing health challenges.

"Understanding African women's health requires listening to women's own voices and recognising that healing is a collective and multidisciplinary undertaking," she said.

The stakeholders endorsed the proposed MSc in African Women's Health, which is ready to advance to the next stage of the accreditation process. The proposed BSc programme will undergo further refinement based on stakeholder recommendations, including a review of its title, graduate profile, and alignment with the University's curriculum rationalisation framework.

Participants also proposed the development of a fellowship programme in African Women's Health and unanimously pledged continued collaboration in strengthening the academic programmes.

The Ministry of Health expressed its commitment to partnering with the University in health workforce development, research, and evidence-informed policy formulation, further reinforcing the national significance of the initiative.