Elizabeth Ngugi’s biography, fact, career, awards, net worth and life story

Elizabeth Ngugi (died 2015) was a Kenyan Professor of Community Health at the University of Nairobi, and a nurse by trade. She made major contributions to her university’s program with local prostitutes to prevent HIV/AIDS transmission. Ngugi is described as the first Kenyan nurse to become a professor.

Early career and education

Ngugi started nursing at the Kenyatta National Hospital in 1960 as the Sister in Charge of paediatric health. In 1979 she was promoted to deputy chief nursing officer at the Ministry of Health. Ngugi studied at Columbia Pacific University for her BA and Masters in Nursing Administration from 1983–1985, and earned a PhD in social work in 1989. In 1986 she became a lecturer in the School of Public Health, University of Nairobi, and was promoted to the position of Kenyan national AIDS coordinator.

Work against HIV/AIDS

Ngugi was involved in an international collaboration in Nairobi to engage with sex workers and help them to tackle sexual transmitted diseases. She joined in 1984 in the role of a nurse, and made efforts to reach out to sex workers instead of stigmatising them. Much of Ngugi’s research focused on these vulnerable communities, and she provided them with medical care, advice and free condoms in return for participation. By helping the sex workers to collectively demand condom use from their clients, their utilisation has soared from 4% to 90%, even though men often offer more money for unprotected sex. Her empowering approach has been praised by public health experts.

In 1991 she became director of the collaborative HIV/AIDS effort with the University of Manitoba, a role she held until 2006. Ngugi was promoted to Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba in her final year of directorship. In 1992 Ngugi established HerStory (initially as the Kenya Voluntary Women Rehabilitation Centre) to support sex workers to escape prostitution with training, support and microfinance. Now HerStory also looks after AIDS orphans.

Ngugi and Frank Plummer from Manitoba published a study indicating levels of long-lived HIV resistance among Kenyan sex workers who work in Majengo, Nairobi. Ngugi decried the fact that these women contribute so much to research but are still living in poverty and must sell their bodies to survive.

Ngugi established the University of Nairobi Centre of HIV Prevention and Research in 2006. She also led the implementation of government efforts against HIV/AIDS including the building of ten drop-in centres for vulnerable populations in Northern/Eastern Kenya.

Awards

For her contributions to public health in Kenya Ngugi has been awarded many accolades, including:

• 2004 UN Kenyan of the Year.
• 2004/5 Order of the Golden Warrior Presidential Award.

Personal life

Ngugi has a son who practises law in Nairobi.