Prof. Agatha Christine Onyango
PhD - Senior Lecturer & Nutrition Researcher
Prof. Agatha is a Senior Lecturer at Maseno University. She holds an MSc and a PhD in Community Nutrition and Development from Maseno University. She also serves as an advisor to SANGO-Kenya, a local NGO focused on food security, sustainable and nutrition-sensitive agriculture, women's empowerment, and leadership development.
She has over 10 years of experience conducting food and nutrition research in Kenya, with a strong emphasis on food security, and maternal and child nutrition. Prof. Agatha has participated in numerous research and community projects in East Kolwa Location, Kisumu Central Sub-County, and Seme Sub-County in Kenya.
She is currently involved in several collaborative research studies, including projects on indigenous vegetables and food security, childhood obesity in Kenya, an intervention study in Seme Sub-County, and the ongoing study Consequences of COVID-19 Preventive Measures on Food Security, Dietary Practices, and Nutrition Outcomes. Agatha has also participated in various surveys focusing on food security in Marsabit, Turkana, Bomet, and Kisumu Counties.
Her key research areas include the assessment of agricultural practices, household dietary diversity, nutritional status of women and children, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Agatha is trained as a national facilitator in Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) and as a facilitator for ENACT (Effective Nutrition Education in Action), a program developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
She has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles on HIV and AIDS, nutrition, food security, and obesity, with over 30 publications in scientific journals and conference proceedings. Additionally, Agatha serves as a reviewer for several international scientific journals, including BMC Nutrition, Journal of Medical and Medical Sciences, International Research Journal of Biochemistry and Bioinformatics, African Journal of Biotechnology, International Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, Journal of AIDS and HIV Research, FACTS Reports, and Basic Research Journal of Agricultural and Science Review, among others.
Agatha also serves as both an internal and external examiner for university research in nutrition-related fields. She is passionate about leadership and believes in "leading from where you stand" as a nutrition leader in Africa.
