Dr. Charles Githua Githinji, PhD
Dr. Charles Githua Githinji is a seasoned healthcare leader, academic, and public administrator with a distinguished track record in pharmaceutical regulation, public policy, and institutional governance. He serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Kenya BioVax Institute, where he provides strategic oversight in advancing the institute’s mandate to manufacture human vaccines and drive biopharmaceutical innovation for national and regional health security.
Dr. Githinji brings to BioVax a wealth of experience from his previous role as Chairperson of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB), Kenya’s national regulatory authority for health products and technologies. During his tenure, he led a wide-ranging transformation agenda that strengthened institutional governance, improved regulatory enforcement, and aligned Kenya’s pharmaceutical systems with global standards. His leadership played a key role in the Board’s progress toward attaining World Health Organization Maturity Level Three (ML3) status — a critical step in enhancing the global competitiveness of locally manufactured pharmaceutical products.
At the PPB, Dr. Githinji oversaw the reorganization of senior management, spearheaded the successful rationalization of human resources, and led a multi-agency campaign to eliminate unlicensed pharmaceutical outlets across the country. He also facilitated the gazettement of the Board of Management of the National Quality Control Laboratory (NQCL), restoring operational and regulatory integrity to a critical national institution. His tenure was marked by strengthened stakeholder collaboration with key players in the pharmaceutical industry and professional associations.
Beyond regulatory leadership, Dr. Githinji is an accomplished academic and currently serves as a Senior Lecturer in Medical Physiology at the University of Nairobi’s School of Medicine. He has held several academic leadership roles including Chair of the Department of Medical Physiology, Head of Strategic Programmes, and Coordinator of Preclinical Student Affairs. He has supervised numerous postgraduate students and contributed to university-wide academic policy and governance.
Dr. Githinji holds a PhD in Medical Physiology with a specialization in Neurophysiology, a Master of Science in Medical Physiology, and a Bachelor of Pharmacy, all from the University of Nairobi. He is also a finalist in the Master of Public Policy and Management program jointly delivered by Strathmore Business School and IESE Business School, University of Navarra (Spain).
In earlier public service, Dr. Githinji served in the County Government of Nyeri as the founding County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health, where his leadership earned national recognition for excellence in service delivery during the first year of devolution. He later held the dockets of Finance and Economic Planning, and Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative Development, gaining cross-sectoral experience in county-level governance and public sector reform.
With deep expertise in pharmaceutical policy, public health systems, governance, and strategic management, Dr. Githinji provides strong, visionary leadership at the helm of Kenya BioVax Institute — positioning it to become a continental leader in local vaccine production and biopharmaceutical development.
