From Jigger Campaign to Continental Honour: Dr Stanley Kamau Recognised in Kigali

By Njeri Irungu
Dr Stanley Kamau has added a continental accolade to a career that has taken him from confronting a childhood health challenge to supporting vulnerable communities across Kenya.
PHOTO: Congolese Ambassador to Rwanda H.E. Mokiemo Jean Felix presents the Top 100 Africa Most Influential Persons award to Dr Stanley Kamau of Ahadi Kenya Trust in Kigali, Rwanda.

Kamau was honoured in Kigali, Rwanda, on Friday, September 25, when he received a Community Service Honour at the 2026 Top 100 Africa Most Influential Persons Awards.

The recognition comes against the backdrop of his long association with the campaign against jiggers, a condition he encountered while growing up in Murang'a County and which later became one of the causes he committed himself to addressing.

His experience with affected families gave him an early understanding of how a health problem can also become a social and economic burden, particularly for children and households already living in difficult circumstances.

Over the years, his community initiatives have broadened beyond jigger control. Through Ahadi Kenya Trust, Kamau has been involved in programmes targeting children and families, including efforts to provide school-going children with basic items such as shoes and sanitary products.

Such interventions have sought to address everyday barriers that can affect a child's wellbeing and experience in school, while also providing practical assistance to families with limited resources.

Kamau has built much of this work around partnerships, bringing together government agencies, organisations and individual supporters to reach communities requiring assistance. On receiving the award, he acknowledged the Government of Kenya and other partners for their contribution to the initiatives.

His work has not been limited to community-based programmes. Kamau is also an Independent Non-Executive Director of Kenyatta National Hospital, where he chairs the Audit Board Committee.

The health-sector role has placed him in another area of public service, alongside his involvement in business and community development initiatives.

The Kigali event brought together award recipients from different parts of the continent and a range of professional backgrounds. Tanzanian tourism entrepreneur and philanthropist Zainab Ansell was among those recognised, receiving a Certificate of Honour, while Nigerian health-sector professional Dr Mories Atoki was also listed among the honourees.
The programme has over the years recognised professionals working in fields including technology, business and social development. Ethiopian technology entrepreneur Zekarias Afework, for example, was among the 2024 awardees for his work with technology company Tech 5.

For Kamau, however, the significance of the Kigali ceremony lies less in the title attached to the award than in what it represents about the communities he has worked with. His involvement in humanitarian activities continues to be anchored in practical support, from health interventions to assistance aimed at keeping vulnerable children in school.

The latest recognition therefore places a spotlight on a community-focused career that has evolved from one man's encounter with a health problem in rural Murang'a into a wider body of work involving health, education and social support.

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