Our People

Dr Cleopatra Mugyenyi is AFIDEP’s Director of Sustainable Growth and Governance, and Head of Kenya Office. She is a seasoned research, programme, and policy leader with over 20 years of experience working across Africa.

She has spent more than 15 years in management and executive leadership roles, building and leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering impact across several areas, including women’s economic empowerment, youth development, governance and accountability, health systems strengthening, gender equality, social inclusion, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Dr Mugyenyi has a strong track record in designing, resourcing, and managing complex research and policy programmes at national, regional, and international levels. She has provided leadership for more than 30 research, policy, and capacity-strengthening projects across Africa. Her work includes strengthening monitoring, evaluation and learning systems; promoting evidence-informed advocacy; mobilising funding from international donors and foundations; and working with diverse stakeholders to develop practical solutions to development challenges.

Her experience spans partnerships with research institutions, think tanks, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector. Before joining AFIDEP, she founded Paica Consulting, where she provided research, resource mobilisation, programme development, programme evaluation, capacity strengthening, and facilitation services. She has also served as Director for the Africa Region at the International Centre for Research on Women, Head of Research and Policy at Aidspan, and Research Manager at LVCT Health.

She holds a Ph.D. in Life Sciences, specialising in Immuno-Epidemiology, from the Open University in the UK and the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kenya. She also holds a Master’s in Immunology of Infectious Diseases and a Postgraduate Diploma from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London.