The National AIDS Control Council (NACC) has appointed Dr. Ruth Laibon Masha as the new Chief Executive Officer.
Dr. Masha, a PhD holder in Public Health at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, takes over from Dr. Nduku Kilonzo whose term of service as the NACC CEO since 2014 has come to an end.
The incoming CEO who has over 20 years’ experience in the field of HIV and sexual and reproductive health, joins NACC from the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV (UNAIDS) in Geneva Switzerland, where she served as an adviser to the Global HIV Prevention Coalition and Adolescent Health.
Dr. Masha previously worked in Kenya for the UNAIDS Kenya office, Action Aid and Family Health Options Kenya.
In a press statement sent to newsrooms, the Chairperson NACC Board Angeline Siparo said Dr. Masha will be tasked with securing the gains already made in the HIV/AIDS response in the country and action towards a strengthened response in the face of Covid-19 to accelerate ending AIDS epidemic as a public health threat in Kenya by 2030.
“As the Board welcomes Dr. Masha, we also thank the outgoing CEO under whose leadership Kenya has achieved significant results in reducing annual new infections and AIDS related deaths, with continued monitoring of County AIDS plans and a revamped community AIDS reporting framework,” said Siparo.
She said Dr. Kilonzo’s tenure saw the country’s approach to HIV prevention globally acknowledged, as she served on four global panels and commissions.
“At the NACC, Dr. Kilonzo has provided stewardship, growing the institutional profile and human resources and ensuring good governance practices,” added Siparo.
