Githinji Gitahi

A passionate advocate for pro-poor universal health coverage (UHC), Githinji Gitahi joined Amref Health Africa as the Global Chief Executive Officer in June 2015. Amref Health Africa, founded in 1957, is the largest Africa-led international organization, reaching more than 11 million people each year through 150 health-focused projects across 35 countries. Until his appointment to Amref Health Africa, Githinji was the Vice President and Regional Director for Africa, Smile Train International. Prior to that, he was Managing Director for Monitor Publications in Uganda and General Manager for Marketing and Circulation in East Africa for the Nation Media Group. He held progressively senior positions at GlaxoSmithKline and worked at the Avenue Group. Githinji is a former Co-Chair of the UHC2030 Steering Committee, a global World Bank and World Health Organization initiative for UHC. He serves on a number of Boards, notably, the Board of Directors of The Standard Group in Kenya, the Board of Trustees of Safaricom Foundation and the Governing Board of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. He is also a member of the Commission/Taskforce on Africa’s COVID-19 Response. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine from the University of Nairobi, a Master of Business Administration from the United States International University and a Certificate for Strategic Perspectives for Nonprofit Management from Harvard University. In December 2018, Githinji was bestowed the 2018 “Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear” (MBS) by the President of Kenya, in recognition of his outstanding contribution and commitment to the health sector.