Leadership
Senior Associate & Head of East Africa Operations. Economist, scholar, and public servant — an architect of institutional transformation with more than four decades across academia, the Government of Kenya, and the International Monetary Fund.
About
Education and sound institutions remain the most powerful instruments for transforming societies.
Professor Rachel K. Gesami is a distinguished African economist whose career spans more than forty years of scholarship, leadership, and public service. Her work bridges academia, government, and international institutions, positioning her among the leading voices in development economics and policy dialogue across the continent.
From her early contributions in Kenya’s public health sector, to her leadership at the International Monetary Fund in Washington D.C., to her distinguished academic career shaping universities and research institutions across Africa, Professor Gesami has consistently demonstrated intellectual leadership and moral clarity.
Her scholarship has addressed critical themes in development economics, including healthcare financing, poverty reduction, financial governance, and institutional reform. She has supervised more than thirty master’s theses and several doctoral dissertations, with many of her former students now holding leadership positions in universities, governments, and international institutions.
At R&J Steytler, Professor Gesami leads the firm’s East Africa operations, bringing decades of institutional knowledge and a deep network across ministries of finance, central banks, and development partners to bear on strategic mandates across the region.
Career highlights
Positions of institutional and policy leadership spanning international finance, national government, higher education, and independent scholarship.
2003 – 2008
International Monetary Fund · Washington D.C.
Advised governments on macroeconomic policy, structural reforms and financial governance; contributed to the World Economic Outlook and Global Monitoring Reports.
2009 – 2013
Office of the Prime Minister · Kenya
Aligned cross-ministerial policy initiatives and served as Director within the Vision 2030 long-term national development strategy.
2003
Ministry of Cooperative Development · Kenya
Oversaw national cooperative policy, agricultural financing systems, and economic empowerment initiatives.
2019 – 2023
Catholic University of Eastern Africa
Strengthened academic governance and quality assurance systems; launched an Innovation Hub for research collaboration and knowledge transfer.
2015 – 2016
Kenya Methodist University
Founded the Centre for Development, Research and Outreach, strengthening research capacity and international partnerships.
2024 – Present
Social Economic Research Foundation · Cennet Institute
Founder and Director of Cennet Technology & Management Training Institute and Cennet International Schools (est. 2025).
Career timeline
1981
Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Sociology, University of Botswana and Swaziland.
1981 – 1993
Economist, Ministry of Health, Kenya — contributing to health sector planning and management reforms.
1982 – 1983
Advanced Diploma in Administration and Management, Kenya Institute of Administration.
1990
Master’s Degree in Health Management, Economics, Planning and Policy, University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
1993 – 1999
Manager, Human Resources and Administration, African Economic Research Consortium (AERC).
2000
PhD in Economics, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
2000 – 2002
Manager, External Liaison and Dissemination, African Economic Research Consortium.
2003
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Cooperative Development, Government of Kenya.
2003 – 2008
Senior Advisor for Anglophone Africa, International Monetary Fund, Washington D.C.
2009
Awarded Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) by the President of Kenya for distinguished national service.
2009 – 2013
Secretary for Policy Coordination, Office of the Prime Minister, Government of Kenya.
2015 – 2016
Dean, School of Business and Economics, Kenya Methodist University.
2018
Appointed Associate Professor of Economics, Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
2019 – 2023
Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research, Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
2022
Promoted to Professor of Economics.
2024
Executive Director, Social Economic Research Foundation.
2025
Founder and Director, Cennet Technology & Management Training Institute and Cennet International Schools.
Research & scholarship
A body of scholarly and policy work at the intersection of development economics, health financing, and institutional governance in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Research Methods: Examining Research Techniques. AMECEA Gaba Publications – CUEA Press, Nairobi (2022).
Health Care Financing in Kenya: An Empirical Analysis. University of Nairobi Press (2000).
Decentralization: A Prerequisite for Healthcare Management and Implementation of Primary Healthcare in Kenya. University of Leeds Press (1990).
Gesami, R. & Steytler, J. (2004). The Macroeconomic Implications of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. International Monetary Fund.
Gesami, R., Mamba, B., Masawe, J., Nintunze, D. & Steytler, J. (2004). Regional Integration in Sub-Saharan Africa: East African Community Customs Union. International Monetary Fund.
Gesami, R. & Fosu, A. (2000). Poverty, Inequality and Intra-household Allocation Issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of African Economies.
Wang’ombe, J. & Gesami, R. (1997). Health Service Pricing Reforms in Kenya. International Journal of Social Economics.
Gesami, R., Mwabu, G. & Nganda, B. (2002). The Economic Burden of Malaria in Kenya. African Economic Research Consortium.
Universities must function not only as centres of learning, but as institutions that shape ethical leadership and public responsibility. Prof. Rachel K. Gesami
Connect with the R&J Steytler leadership team for strategic advisory, institutional partnerships, and project development support.
