Maseno University is celebrating its alumnus – Dr Jacinta Victoria Muinde, who won the 2020 Audrey Richards Prize for the best PhD thesis by the African Studies Association of the United Kingdom.
Dr Muinde was in the pioneer anthropology undergraduate class at Maseno University from 2005 to 2009 when she graduated before joining the University of Cambridge for her graduate studies in social anthropology. She graduated in 2012.
She then proceeded for her doctorate studies at the same university and graduated on November 30, 2019.
She was feted as the 2020 Audrey Richards Prize for the best PhD thesis by the African Studies Association of the United Kingdom for her research on the impact of cash transfers to women and children in Kenya.
Celebrating its alumni, Maseno University management and Senate termed her achievement a motivation to the student fraternity.
“We are proud that our faculty has proven capacity to mentor a young girl from a Kenyan village to not only attain a 1st Class Honours, degree but that the alumnus can then go on to earn a masters and finally write an award winning PhD,” said Dr Owen McOnyango, the Director of Public Relations and Marketing at the university.
“The Department of Sociology and Anthropology from which Dr Muinde was academically nurtured is ecstatic. The School of Arts and Social Sciences, which hosts the department, is particularly pleased with Jacinta's prowess in the academic world. This is a tremendous encouragement to the student fraternity, that with focus and determination they can be achievers at the world stage,” he said.
The vice-chancellor, Prof Julius Nyabundi, said he has always maintained that the university must aspire to stand out as a research oriented institution and is ever supportive of students and faculty exerting effort towards research and innovation. “That's the direction I want Maseno University students and faculty to go,” he said, on news of Dr Muinde’s achievement.
And speaking to Higher Education on Sunday, the 2020 Audrey Richards Prize winner termed it an honour to be awarded the distinction, saying it was not only a milestone on her career path, but also an inspiration to many young people in scholarly work.
She pointed out the immense contribution that her research will have on social protection and policy development, citing findings on how cash transfers have empowered women and transformed households in Kenya.
“It provides a case which would help government to reinforce investments in social protection and a better understanding of how such social welfare interventions can be sustained,” she stated.
Her study focused on Kwale County where the Kenya government was piloting the cash transfer programme.
She spent 15 months with the local community to try to understand the impact of the initiative, concluding that it was a success story, given that the county is rated among the poorest and most marginalised in the country.
She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Oslo, Norway.
Her current research, which is part of a project titled “Universal Health Coverage and the Public Good in Africa: An Anthropological Study”, explores the intersection of social protection and welfare projects, specifically health insurance, Universal Health Coverage and cash transfers implemented recently by the government and informal networks of care – investigating the everyday realities of how people engage with these schemes.
Dr Muinde , who hails from Ngamba Village in Machakos County, praised Maseno University for giving her a foundation in her anthropology career path.
She revealed that her parents had tried to persuade her to drop the course and study applied statistics, without success.
“It is very inspiring even to me and I feel good that I can inspire other young people,” she said.
With the right opportunities and support network, everyone has the potential for excellence and to pursue their dreams. You only need to establish your potential,” she adds.
