Our Senior Management Team

Acting Executive Director and Head, Professional Development & Training

Pauline Ngimwa

Pauline Ngimwa is a Kenyan national with extensive work experience in the African Higher Education sector. An experienced practitioner and scholar in higher education and educational technology, she has led multi-national education and capacity strengthening projects in African Higher Education sector. Currently, she is the Acting Executive Director and Programme Manager for the Professional Development and Training Programme, responsible for strategic management of the organisation, conceptualizing and guiding the development and delivery of experiential professional training programmes to early and mid-career researchers, academics and policy actors in Africa. Before joining PASGR, Pauline led the implementation of the digital library and Open, Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) programmes at the African Virtual University. Her research interests include design and use of digital educational resources including Open Educational Resources (OERs) in African Higher Education. She has published in this area and peered reviewed for international journals. She is also a member of the Network of OERs and Multimodal Self-Directed Learning in Southern Africa (NOMSA) advisory board. She holds a PhD and Masters of Research in Educational Technology from the Open University of UK; and a BSc. and a Masters in Information Science from Moi University, Kenya, and is a fellow with the African Science Leadership Program. 

Head, Finance & Administration

Constance Mwahunga

Constance is the Head, Finance and Administration. She provides strategic oversight and operational leadership to PASGR’s financial and administration functions. 

Constance is an accomplished Finance and Accounting professional with over 15 years’ experience in finance, accounting and grant management in the not-for-profit sector having held various key and strategic positions in her expansive career. She is currently a PhD Finance thesis student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. She holds an MBA in Finance and Bcom in Accounting both from Kenyatta University. She is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and CPAK and a member of ICPAK, AWAK and ACFE (Kenya Chapter).   

Programme Manager, Research & Policy Uptake

Samwel Oando

Samwel is a seasoned researcher with 20 years of expertise in Grant and Project Management, covering gender, governance, and public policy. His career has involved leading multi-country research programmes and providing technical direction in academia and NGOs, in a rare mix of theory and practice. This comes with a strong commitment to rigorous, ethical research aimed at real-world impact, particularly in mainstreaming participatory approaches for inclusivity and equality.

Before joining PASGR, Samwel was the Research Manager at Tanager, where he implemented the Impacting Gender & Nutrition through Innovative Technical Exchange in Agriculture (IGNITE) project, enhancing collaboration across 35 African institutions in agriculture spread across 16 countries. His work involved co-creation of in-depth mixed methods research and lean data surveys that fostered innovative studies with various partners across the continent. Previously, he served as a Research Coordinator and Quality Assurance Officer at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), where he gained much credibility in field research focused on policy influence and uptake.

Samwel holds a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies, from the University of Otago, New Zealand. He is an adjunct professor at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, USIU-Africa, and has published numerous articles in social science, in addition to extensive hands-on consultancy experience. He is well equipped to effectively provide technical advisory services, training, and mentor research teams. His strong interpersonal skills enable him to build valuable relationships with policy actors and institutions within both the African and international research communities. At PASGR, he is well placed to contribute strong leadership in policy research, insightful analytical skills, and the capacity to foster collaboration and consensus among colleagues and partners. Outside of work, Samwel enjoys retreating to his village home, and he has a passion for music, swimming, fishing, and traveling.