SUSAN ESTHER WAMBUI MBUGUA
Nairobi
Summary
A Senior Human Rights, Gender, Governance, and Inclusion Adviser and an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, with over 15 years' experience leading legal reform, institutional change, and rights-based policy initiatives across Africa. Extensive experience engaging with African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) human rights systems, and advising governments, pan-African institutions, civil society organisations, and private-sector actors on the implementation of international and regional human rights standards. Recognised for leading multi-country legal harmonisation, treaty engagement, and coalition-building initiatives across more than 30 African countries, with expertise spanning gender equality, inclusion, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), child rights, safeguarding, and business and human rights. Experienced in managing complex programmes and partnerships involving UN agencies, donors, governments, and civil society networks, including initiatives supported by the European Union, Sida, GIZ, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Principal Consultant – Programme Strategy & Institutional Reform
InGANE Consulting Limited
07.2016 - Current
- Conducted the first baseline assessment on the East African Community (EAC) Child Policy, establishing a benchmark framework used by the EAC and Partner States to track progress on child rights commitments across East Africa.
- Led an assessment of the harmonisation of child rights laws and policies within the EAC, examining compliance of national frameworks with regional and international human rights standards relating to child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), SRHRs, and protection of vulnerable children. The study informed the development of the East African Community Child Rights Bill and subsequent child rights law reform efforts within Partner States.
- Conducted a localisation assessment for Plan International Kenya, providing legal, financial, and organisational analysis that informed transition planning, restructuring, legal registration pathways, and risk management related to localisation.
- Developed a child safeguarding training manual for the International Cocoa Initiative, enabling the standardisation of child protection practices in staff training and programme operations across over 600 cocoa-growing communities in West Africa.
- Directed advisory work on child rights and business, corporate accountability, and responsible business conduct across Africa, including the 2025 study Child Rights and Business in Africa: Advancing Corporate Accountability and Policy Actions for Sustainable Impact for Save the Children International. The study examined legal and policy gaps affecting children within business operations in Zambia, Ethiopia, and Côte d’Ivoire, helping shape advocacy on due diligence, business and human rights standards within African economic policy discussions.
- Produced and quality assured strategic advisory reports, policy briefs, and organisational assessments that informed reform, safeguarding, and partnership decisions across multiple African countries.
- A Kenya and South Africa based advisory firm providing technical support to international NGOs, African institutions, foundations, and private-sector actors on human rights, institutional reform, child rights, safeguarding, and programme strategy across Africa.
Gender and Institutional Strengthening Adviser (Consultancy)
Rotary Action Group for Family Health & AIDS Prevention (RFHA)
10.2023 - 05.2025
- Advised RFHA on institutional gender integration and governance reform within the SAGE–Gates Foundation portfolio. This work supported organisational change across country programmes in 12 countries.
- Co-managed a USD 3.5 million SAGE–Gates Foundation portfolio, positioning gender equality, inclusion, and women's leadership as organisational priorities and fostering more equitable approaches to programme delivery and oversight across country programmes.
- Co-led a multi-country review of RFHA's governance structures, policies, and organisational practices, producing a gender institutional assessment that informed a 10-year gender and leadership strategy, related work plans, and policy reforms, which strengthened safeguarding, workplace standards, equal pay, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standards across country programmes.
- Co-developed a 10-year gender and leadership strategy, introducing longer-term oversight measures for institutional reform and gender integration beyond the grant period.
- Prepared policy briefs, donor reports, and learning papers, and supported the development of results-tracking frameworks and oversight processes for monitoring progress on gender and organisational reform commitments.
- Represented RFHA in the SAGE Community of Practice, alongside WHO and other international organisations, helping shape cross-country approaches on gender equality, accountability, and organisational reform across Gates Foundation-supported programmes.
Pan-African Child Rights Advocacy Adviser
Save the Children International (SCI)
Nairobi, Kenya
10.2010 - 01.2016
- Oversaw regional programmes on human rights systems, treaty body engagement, and child rights monitoring and advocacy across Africa. Promoted internally from Pan-African Child Rights Advocacy Advisor to Technical Advisor, Child Rights & Business Africa expanding responsibilities to include responsible business conduct and business and human rights. Managed multi-country programmes worth more than USD 6 million across over 10 African countries.
- Advanced development of Pan-African advocacy strategies that guided country programmes to implement AU and UN human rights commitments, and to embed child rights approaches within programme planning and advocacy.
- Co-established the first continental Civil Society Organisation (CSO) Forum supporting the ACERWC, creating a coordinated platform for civil society engagement in treaty review processes and advocacy on child rights obligations.
- Co-managed a USD 5 million pan-African initiative supporting the ACERWC, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and engagement with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The initiative improved engagement with reporting processes, and expanded participation in regional and international human rights mechanisms across more than 10 African countries.
- Designed training and advisory frameworks to enhance government and civil society engagement in treaty reporting and child rights advocacy, leading to more coordinated human rights reporting and greater uptake of child rights recommendations within national advocacy efforts.
- Coordinated regional engagement on Universal Periodic Review (UPR) processes, African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and United Nations and African Union Special Procedures mechanisms, helping expand civil society participation in international human rights reporting and advocacy processes.
- Advised Save the Children country and regional offices on engagement with regional and international human rights systems, supporting the integration of child rights approaches into national and regional advocacy, reporting, and policy engagement processes.
Legal Adviser
African Child Policy Forum (ACPF)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
03.2008 - 10.2010
- Led ACPF’s Children and the Law Programme, directing Pan-African legal harmonisation, comparative policy analysis, and policy advocacy on implementation of regional and international human rights obligations. Managed a regional programme portfolio of approximately USD 500,000–1 million, including multi-country legal research, consultant coordination, resource mobilisation, and policy reform strategy development.
- Helped establish and subsequently oversaw ACPF’s Children and the Law Programme, which became a flagship pan-African initiative supporting legal harmonisation, treaty compliance, and child rights policy reform across Africa.
- Directed comparative legal and policy analysis across 30 African countries to assess the alignment of domestic laws and policies with key international and regional human rights instruments. These included the UNCRC, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Maputo Protocol, and the ACRWC. This analysis informed legislative and policy reform processes in countries such as Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.
- Coordinated and synthesised multi country legal research involving over 50 consultants across Africa. This resulted in continental and country-level harmonisation reports, which served as key reference tools for governments, civil society organisations, academic institutions, and regional child rights practitioners.
- Played a lead role in the development of the ACPF Child Law Resource Guide which became a widely used institutional reference tool, supporting governments, legal practitioners, academic institutions, and CSOs on child rights laws and policies across Africa.
- Advised regional economic communities, governments, and AU institutions on legislative and policy reform related to child rights informing regional dialogue on the harmonisation of domestic laws with AU and UN human rights standards.
- Convened consultative forums and technical workshops with governments, civil society organisations, and AU actors to disseminate legal reform findings, advance compliance with treaty obligations, and support the integration of human rights recommendations into national laws and policies.
- Supported executive and board oversight processes, including preparation of Board of Trustees documentation, review of organisational policies and governance instruments, and follow-up on board decisions in collaboration with the Executive Office. This improved organisational accountability and oversight.
- Developed advocacy and resource mobilisation strategies that secured over USD 1 million in funding. This funding expanded ACPF’s regional legal reform and child rights policy initiatives.
Law Clerk
Constitutional Court of South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa
03.2005 - 07.2007
- Provided essential support for constitutional litigation and judicial deliberations, including conducting legal research, performing jurisprudential analysis, and drafting judicial memoranda on constitutional and human rights cases before South Africa's highest court.
- Analysed constitutional issues and synthesised complex legal arguments, comparative jurisprudence, and oral submissions to aid judicial consideration of constitutional and human rights cases.
- Prepared pre-hearing memoranda, analytical summaries, and draft legal materials, supporting legal reasoning and the development of constitutional jurisprudence.
- Contributed to the drafting and review of constitutional judgments on child rights and protections of vulnerable groups, including decisions that expanded legal protections for children of incarcerated mothers in South Africa.
Education
Advocates Training Programme (ATP) -
Kenya School of Law
Kenya01-2018
Diploma in Project Management - undefined
Varsity College, School of Business
South Africa01-2007
Master of Laws (LL.M) - Gender, Sexuality and Human Rights
Keele University
United Kingdom01-2005
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) (Hons) - undefined
Coventry University
United Kingdom01-2004
Skills
- Human Rights Governance & Accountability
- Human Rights Governance
- Human Rights Accountability Systems
- Treaty Body Engagement
- Legal & Policy Reform
- Business & Human Rights
- Governance Systems Strengthening
- Gender Equality, Inclusion & Rights-Based Approaches
- Gender Equality & Inclusion
- SRHR & Child Rights
- Rights-Based & Inclusive Approaches
- Protection of Marginalised and Vulnerable Populations
- Institutional Gender Integration
- Results-Based Management
- Strategic Leadership, Policy & Partnerships
- Strategic Partnerships & Coalition Building
- Policy Analysis & Technical Advisory
- Institutional Reform & Capacity Development
- Evidence , Knowledge Management & Learning
- Regional Programme Leadership
- Donor & Stakeholder Engagement
LANGUAGES
English — Fluent (spoken and written)
Swahili — Fluent (spoken); Intermediate (written)
French — Basic proficiency
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS & REGIONAL STUDIES
- Child Rights and Business in Africa: Advancing Corporate Accountability and Policy Actions for Sustainable Impact — Save the Children International (2025)
- Co-developed RFHA Gender and Leadership Strategy and Institutional Gender Assessment Framework — Rotary Action Group for Family Health & AIDS Prevention RFHA / SAGE–Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Portfolio (2024)
- Assessment on Harmonisation of Child Laws and Policies within the East African Community — East African Community (2018)
- Localisation Assessment for Plan International Kenya — Plan International (2017)
- Child Safeguarding Training Manual — International Cocoa Initiative (2017)
- Baseline Assessment on Implementation of the East African Community Child Policy — East African Community (2016)
- Contributed to development of the ACPF Child Law Resource Guide — African Child Policy Forum
EXECUTIVE TRAINING & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Certified Professional Mediator — Mediation Training Institute East Africa | 2024
- Advanced Training on Monitoring Economic, Social and Cultural Rights — Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland | 2012
Timeline
Gender and Institutional Strengthening Adviser (Consultancy)
Rotary Action Group for Family Health & AIDS Prevention (RFHA)
10.2023 - 05.2025
Principal Consultant – Programme Strategy & Institutional Reform
InGANE Consulting Limited
07.2016 - Current
Pan-African Child Rights Advocacy Adviser
Save the Children International (SCI)
10.2010 - 01.2016
Legal Adviser
African Child Policy Forum (ACPF)
03.2008 - 10.2010
Law Clerk
Constitutional Court of South Africa
03.2005 - 07.2007
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) (Hons) - undefined
Coventry University
Master of Laws (LL.M) - Gender, Sexuality and Human Rights
Keele University
Diploma in Project Management - undefined
Varsity College, School of Business
Advocates Training Programme (ATP) -
Kenya School of Law