CEMA-Africa

30/10/2025

As the stakeholders’ workshop convened by the Benefits Package and Tariffs Advisory Panel (BPTAP) continues this week — and as Kenya advances towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), a key pillar of the government’s Big 4 Agenda — an inclusive and evidence-based process is underway to determine which services and treatments will be covered under the Essential Health Benefits Package (EHBP).

At the heart of this effort is the BPTAP, which applies Health Technology Assessment (HTA) to ensure that every decision is inclusive, data-driven, and sustainable.

Speaking to Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), Prof. Walter Jaoko, Chairperson of the BPTAP, explained the rigorous process behind reviewing Kenya’s Essential Health Benefits Package.

“My plea to people and professional organizations is to take advantage of these processes so that we can all be part of shaping Kenya’s health priorities,” said Prof. Jaoko.

This participatory approach ensures Kenya’s UHC journey remains inclusive, transparent, and people-centered.

Watch full conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HorlqC0JncA

29/10/2025

We’re building Africa’s next generation of data experts!

This week’s features Vincent Kongo, a Data Science Intern at CEMA, who shares how his experience is shaping his career path — and how young people can harness technology and creativity to improve health outcomes across Africa.

At CEMA, we believe that local data and local talent are key to solving Africa’s most pressing health challenges — from infectious disease modeling to health systems strengthening.

Watch Vincent’s story and see how young innovators are driving Africa’s data revolution.

28/10/2025

This week, the Benefits Package and Tariffs Advisory Panel (BPTAP) — supported by the Ministry of Health and the University of Nairobi — is convening a stakeholders’ workshop bringing together 200+ participants from government, academia, healthcare, private sector, civil society, patient groups, and development partners.

The workshop aims to foster transparent, inclusive, and evidence-based dialogue on Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in Kenya — ensuring collaborative decisions that shape the country’s Social Health Insurance framework and beyond.

The opening session featured representatives from the Ministry of Health, University of Nairobi, Kenyatta National Hospital., Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching & Referral Hospital, Mathari National Teaching & Referral Hospital, National Syndemic Disease Control Council, National Spinal Injury Referral Hospital, and NEPHAR.

Dr. Joel Gondi from the Ministry of Health encouraged stakeholders to appreciate the HTA process and submit proposals on areas they'd like the package reviewed.

Inclusive dialogue is the foundation of stronger, fairer, and more sustainable health systems. When all voices are heard, we build a healthier Kenya.

27/10/2025

Developing countries—especially in Africa—are disproportionately affected by climate change, with its impacts on public health, food security, and the environment fueling disease outbreaks such as malaria, dengue, and cholera.

Last week, Dr. Josphat Muema, PhD, a Postdoctoral Fellow at CEMA, represented us at the Pan-African Conference on Environment, Climate Change and Health (21–24 October), held under the theme “Harnessing Science, Policy, and Partnerships for Environmental Sustainability and Climate-Health Resilience.”

Dr. Muema participated as a panelist in a side event on Quantifying Climate Vulnerability & Adaptation Assessment, hosted by the TNO alongside Amref Health Africa.

🔹 He shared CEMA’s work in data analytics and modeling to inform health decision-making across Africa.

🔹 He highlighted CEMA’s multidisciplinary expertise to support quantitative climate vulnerability and adaptation assessments.

🔹 He led discussions on defining next steps to advance quantitative approaches in this area.

He also joined a session on Unlocking Climate Finance for Health: Challenges and Opportunities, hosted by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), featuring speakers from Elrha, GreenMax Capital Group, Wellcome Trust, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Green Climate Fund.

The discussion underscored the need to bridge gaps between the health and climate sectors and explored key financing opportunities, including UNITAID’s Climate and Health call on heat-stable health products (https://shorturl.at/FMEVf), as well as support from the Green Climate Fund and philanthropic partners such as the Wellcome Trust and The Rockefeller Foundation.

CEMA remains committed to partnerships that connect data, science, and policy to strengthen Africa’s resilience against health threats — including those driven by climate change

24/10/2025

Breast Cancer Screening Saves Lives!

This month (October) is Breast Cancer Awareness Month — a reminder that awareness is power, and early detection saves lives.

Here’s why you should get screened today:

☑️ Early detection = higher survival rates
☑️ Less invasive treatment
☑️ Better quality of life
☑️ More treatment options
☑️ Prevents the cancer from spreading

If you haven’t been screened yet, run to a health facility.

Your health matters.

hashtag hashtag

23/10/2025

Every year, rabies silently kills children across East Africa, even though it is 100% preventable.

Dr. Gurdeep Jaswant's op-ed published in AllAfrica Global Media, makes a powerful case for why African countries must invest in genomic surveillance to accelerate rabies elimination and save lives.

"Genomic surveillance makes control efforts smarter and cheaper. Simply put, it is like reading the virus’ recipe or instruction manual, letter by letter. By doing this, scientists can figure out where the virus came from, how it travels from place to place, and why it keeps showing up in certain areas," says Dr. Gurdeep.

She argues that with portable and affordable sequencing tools now within reach, science, investment, and political will must converge to make the 2030 goal of zero human deaths from rabies a reality.

🔗 Read the full piece here: https://allafrica.com/stories/202510230290.html

Guest Column - Every year, rabies silently kills children across East Africa, even though it is one of the few infectious diseases that is 100% preventable. Globally, rabies causes approximately 59,000 deaths a year, mainly in Africa and Asia. In Kenya, 99% of human cases are attributed to dog bites...

22/10/2025

As and continue at the University of Nairobi, today’s shines on Muchiri Antony — an Assistant Research Fellow at with a background in software engineering.

In the video below, Antony shares what inspired his journey into the health sector and what a typical day looks like for a software engineer working to strengthen Kenya’s health systems.

The future of Kenya lies not only in what we see today, but in how we learn, innovate, and apply knowledge.

At , we turn data into actionable insights that empower policymakers to make informed health decisions.

📍Remember to visit our booth at the University of Nairobi to learn more about our work and meet the team behind the innovation.

16/10/2025

🌍 It’s been an exciting couple of days for Brian Ogoti, a Research Fellow at CEMA, who has been on the move in Berlin!

At the Charité Center for Global health Community Day, Brian joined researchers and global health professionals to celebrate collaboration and innovation — and moderated a session on co-creating a summer school in Germany for early-career scientists and graduate students in global health.

He also attended the World Health Summit 2025 under the theme “Taking Responsibility for Health in a Fragmenting World.”

Reflecting on the summit, Brian shared a key takeaway: “We must take ownership of our health priorities and build local research capacity. Even as the global health system fragments—our communities cannot wait for external solutions”.

In between sessions, he met with his supervisor, Prof. Marcel A. Müller, to discuss their Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) project in Kenya, co-led with Prof. Thumbi Mwangi, Co-Director at CEMA. He shared updates on the Identification of Factors Influencing Zoonotic Transmission of MERS-CoV (ZooTraM) Phase 2 field research — part of his PhD project at the University of Nairobi — and reviewed progress on an upcoming paper focusing on the phenotypic characterization of MERS-CoV variants from Kenya — stay tuned!

This is a great example of global collaboration driving local impact– and local science shaping global health!

15/10/2025

Investing in youth is investing in the present and the future! 🌍

At CEMA, this belief fuels our work— because by nurturing the next generation of experts, we’re strengthening the foundation for evidence-driven decisions that build healthier, more resilient communities.

This week on , meet Ann Kamau, an Epidemiology Intern at CEMA with a background in biostatistics and currently pursuing a Master’s in Epidemiology.

Ann takes us behind the scenes of her day as an epidemiologist and reflects on how her experience at CEMA is shaping her vision for the future of health.

14/10/2025

📢 Call for Expression of Interest!

The University of Nairobi’s Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (CEMA) is inviting academic and research institutions to collaborate in evidence generation for Kenya’s Health Technology Assessment (HTA) process.

This partnership aims to strengthen Kenya’s capacity to design and prioritize equitable, efficient, and sustainable health benefits packages under the Social Health Authority.

🔹 Deadline for applications: 7 November 2025
🔹 Implementation period: December 2025 – April 2028

If your institution has expertise in Health Economics, Epidemiology, Health Policy, Medicine, Social Sciences, or Bioethics, this is your opportunity to contribute to shaping the future of universal health coverage in Kenya.

Learn more and apply through this link: https://shorturl.at/9o0ih

10/10/2025

A healthier planet means healthier people. from all of us at CEMA!