Advisory Board Members

Her research work also informs policy related to MSMEs / SMES; intra-regional trade, trade facilitation, trade and food security, trade policy and food security, trade and climate change, and on trade, poverty and development and their intersection with gender. She has been a consultant with governments in various African countries, civil society, and private sector and with international and regional organizations. She has also undertaken extensive work to inform policy and strategies for inclusion and enhanced mainstreaming of gender in economic sectors and in regional and international trade and has carried out extensive training for stakeholders on trade policy and gender, and enhanced participation of women in intra-regional trade. She is passionate about International trade policy and inclusivity for economic development. He has published widely in these areas.

National Consultative Committee on University Education, Chair of the Post Graduate Studies Committee in the Department of Economics and Development Studies and a member of the Post Graduate Studies Committee in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Nairobi. She is the Leader of the UoN AWSC Women in Leadership Program and the Principal Investigator: Participation of Women in Economics in Leadership & Management in Academic Institutions in Kenya.

Tabitha is Senior Fellow in the Pan African Scientific Research Council. She has done extensive research, has authored and co-authored papers in international trade, food security, poverty, gender and women studies, advocacy, social protection, gender-based violence, affirmative action, education and health.

She has held trade, poverty, food security, gender, advocacy training workshops not only at the local level but also at the regional and international levels.
She has consulted with FAO, UNITAR, UNCTAD, UNWOMEN, IDRC, World Bank, UNDP, African Economic Research Consortium, (AERC), Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA), Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR), Society for International Development (SID), United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UNDESA), UNCRD, UNCTAD Virtual Institute, Public Sector Reforms and Performance Contracting in Prime Minister’s Office. Ministry of Regional Development Authorities, African Women Studies Centre (AWSC), Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority (AFFA), CYTONN, EPZA, UNES, ICTSD, CETRAD, Dedan Kimathi University, Karatina University, government ministries, department and agencies among others.

She is also the Trade Program advisor at the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA) Kenya and is currently a mentor of the Global Value Chains Phase 2 project at the AERC. She was a Visiting Research Fellow at Oxford University, Department of Economics: Centre for the Study of African Economies January to March 2023 and currently a visiting professor at Rhodes University Institute for Social and Economic Research.

She has been recognized by the University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor as the best in performance contract in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in March 2022, December 2022 and December 2023 and awarded Certificate of Excellence.

She attained her PhD from the University of Queensland in Australia, a Diploma in Legal Instruments of International Economic Relations and Regional Integration from the University of Barcelona, an MA degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi and a bachelor’s degree in education with specific focus on Economics and Business Studies from the same University.

Dr. Baraza was the first Deputy Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya, Vice-President of the Supreme Court and the first female Supreme Court of Kenya. During her tenure, Dr. Baraza helped the Judiciary to put in place an integrated framework known as the Judiciary Transformation Framework, which formed the basis for the transformation of the Judiciary and also participated in the Supreme Court Advisory Opinions that laid basis for judicial within the new constitutional framework and a transformative approach to judicial decision-making.

Between 2000-2005, she served as a commissioner with the defunct Constitution of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC) a body charged with the duty to collect and collate view of Kenyans and to draft a constitution for the country. The CKRC prepared the “Bomas” Draft which laid basis for the Constitution of Kenya 2010. Dr. Baraza specifically chaired the thematic Committee of the CKRC that crafted the Bill of Rights that stands as chapter four of the constitution of Kenya 2010. She, together with other woman commissioners are credited with ensuring the woman friendly provisions of the current constitution.
Between 2007-2011, Dr. Baraza served at the Vice Chairperson of the Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC) and during her tenure as the vice chairperson of the KLRC, she oversaw the drafting of the current marriage Act, the current Matrimonial Property Act and the current Protection from Domestic violence Act, labour and employment laws among others.

She is a founder member of the Federation of Women Lawyers of Kenya FIDA-Kenya) and served as its Chairperson between 1995-1998. During this period, FIDA-Kenya FIDA-Kenya championed for enactment of laws to address women issues, including marriage, matrimonial property and gender-based violence, sexual offences which resulted in the present some of the constitutional provisions and legislation in those fields of law for the country.

She has championed for the rights of women internationally, including participation at the Beijing Platform talks in 1995 as well as the Vienna Conference on Human rights that have greatly influenced local and domestic legislation. In the areas of women’s social, economic, cultural and political rights.

She has been a legal practitioner under the firm name and style of Nancy Baraza and Company, Advocates. She has served as a council member of Egerton University Council as well as chairperson of the Kenya media council.

She was awarded the Order of Grand Warrior (OGW) by the State for her remarkable work towards humanity.

Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Hub; Member of the Research and Training Team, University of Nairobi, Centre for Land Acquisition and Resettlement Studies. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the East African Law Journal, which is published by the University of Nairobi, School of Law.
Dr. Meroka-Mutua holds a Ph.D in Law, from the University of Warwick, School of Law, where she wrote her doctoral thesis titled, “A Feminist Critique of Land, Law and Politics in Kenya”. She was awarded the Warwick Postgraduate Scholarship in 2009 to enable her pursue doctoral studies. She also holds an LL.M in International Development Law and Human Rights, from the University of Warwick, School of Law and is an alumnus of the Commonwealth Scholarship Association, having been awarded the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship in 2007. She holds an LL.B from the University of Nairobi, School of Law, a Post-graduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law, and is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya. Dr. Meroka-Mutua is a lecturer at the University of Nairobi, School of Law. She earned her Ph.D in Law in 2013 from the University of Warwick, School of Law, where she researched on the gender dimensions of land, law and politics in Kenya. She was awarded the Warwick Postgraduate Scholarship in 2009. She holds an LL.M in International Development Law and Human Rights, also from the University of Warwick, School of Law and is an alumnus of the Commonwealth Scholarship Association, having been awarded the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship in 2007. She holds an LL.B from the University of Nairobi, School of Law, and was awarded the Kaplan and Stratton Prize in 2006. She also holds a Post-graduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law, and is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya.

Dr. Meroka-Mutua has extensive experience in mixed methods research and works directly with communities, sensitizing them on the need to protect the rights of women and girls. She uses research as a tool to promote gender equality and social justice. Her research, teaching and supervision are informed by feminist and African philosophies.

She has experience working on multidisciplinary research projects and societal actors to create impacts in science, policy, and practice. In addition, she has worked with smallholder farmers and pastoralists on transformative projects to improve food security and livelihoods. As a trainer, she implemented a training program with government extension personnel and NGO staff on food security and drought management within arid and semi-arid lands, and trained early career professionals in food sustainability. She is widely published and also belongs to various professional organisations.

Prior to joining the Cabinet, she was the Chairperson, Public Service Commission (PSC) and Vice Chair, Judicial Service Commission (JSC) from 2013 to 2018. She is the founding Director General of the Kenya School of Government (KSG) where she served from 2005 to 2012. Prof. Kobia was a Senior Lecturer of Management, Entrepreneurship and Research Methods at Strathmore University from 2003 to 2005. She served as the Chief Editor of African Journal of Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) 2010 to 2014, a refereed journal.

In recognition of her distinguished role in public service and contribution to national development, Prof. Kobia was awarded the Order of Grand Warrior (OGW), First Class Order of Chief of Burning Spear (CBS), Moran of the Golden Heart (MGH) and Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (EGH) by the Presidents of the Republic of Kenya in 2007, 2009, 2016, and 2021 respectively.

In 2014, Prof. Kobia was recognized and awarded as Africa’s most influential woman in Business and Government by CEO Magazine of South Africa. At the International level, Prof. Kobia was a member of the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) from 2017 to 2021, a committee that advises the UN Economic and Social Council. She was the Vice President of the Commonwealth Association of Public Administration Management (CAPAM) from 2010 to 2017, a member of the International Commission on Accreditation of Public Administration Education and Training Programs and Co-Chair of the Effective Institutions Platform (EIP). Prof. Kobia emerged as the winner of the Commonwealth Gordon Draper Award 2010 an award that recognized her for her strong leadership and outstanding contribution to improving public administration in the Commonwealth. She also received the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Education, University of Illinois, recognizing her role in public service, strong leadership in institutional building, and academic research work in Kenya.

Prof. Kobia has published widely in refereed journals, and book chapters on Management Training and Governance. As an active academic, she has supervised Master’s and Ph.D. students. Her research interests include effective governance, public administration, the promotion of gender equity and equality, inclusivity, public sector management and management consulting.

He is currently engaged in teaching, research and outreach in food and process engineering, environmental management, power and machinery engineering, renewable energy, rainwater management and other specialities in Environmental and Biosystems Engineering.

He has vast experience working with people living with disabilities, training and assessment, adult education, and consultancy for various organizations including Dorcas Aid International-Kenya, Keystone Legacy, Shokut Naretoi Community, WEE-HUB Mercy Corps (K), and CEDRED. Prof Ondicho has published on community-based tourism and conservation, gender violence, and women’s empowerment and is currently the lead author of a handbook on HIV/AIDS. He is the Regional Tourism Representative for Africa; the current Editor-in-Chief of the African Journal of Gender, Society and Development and a reviewer for book publishers, including Palgrave and several journals besides supervising many graduate students.

Professor Ondicho serves as the Chairman of Safe Steps Foundation-Kenya, a Board member of the African Women Studies Centre, a Regional Anthropology of Tourism representative for the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES), a member of the PASHFARM Project Steering Committee at African Economic Research Consortium (AERC). He possesses a PhD in Social Anthropology from Massey University in New Zealand and, a master’s and a bachelor’s degrees, both in Social Anthropology from the University of Nairobi.

He possesses a Certificate in Adult Teaching from the Waikato Institute of Technology in New Zealand, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment from CBD College, and a Certificate IV in Disability Studies from Employease College, both in Melbourne, Australia. Ondicho is affiliated with the Association of Anthropologists in Kenya, the Australian Anthropological Society and an Associate of the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies’ Global Community.