Election 2026 – The nominations Kenya
Dr. Catherine Nyongesa
Dr. Catherine Naliaka Nyongesa is a Radiation and Clinical Oncologist and health systems leader dedicated to advancing cancer care in resource-limited settings. She currently serves as the Director of Medical Services at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Kenya’s largest national referral and teaching hospital. She previously served as Head of the Cancer Treatment Center at KNH, where she played a key role in expanding access to oncology services and strengthening multidisciplinary cancer care.
Dr. Nyongesa is also an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Nairobi, where she contributes to the training and mentorship of medical students and oncology specialists. She obtained her MBChB from the University of Nairobi (1995) and completed her MMed in Radiation Oncology at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (2005), where she also obtained fellowship recognition from the College of Radiation Oncologists of South Africa.
Her leadership extends regionally and internationally. She currently serves as Chair of the Clinical and Radiation Oncologists Society of Kenya (CROSK) and Chair of the African Radiation Oncology Group (AFROG). She has also coordinated major regional initiatives, including the IAEA AFRA-RAF/6/055 project, focused on strengthening radiotherapy capacity in Africa.
Dr. Nyongesa’s work focuses on improving access to cancer treatment, strengthening oncology systems, and promoting innovation in radiation oncology. She has led national initiatives, such as patient navigation programs, to reduce delays in cancer care and has contributed to research on AI-supported radiotherapy training and cervical cancer treatment. Her work has been recognized with several honors, including the ASCO IDEA Award, the IGCS Scholarship, and Medic of the Year – Continent Reveals (2024).
She remains committed to advancing equitable cancer care and building oncology capacity across Africa.
Dr. Samson Watta
Dr. Samson W. Watta, BSc Pharm, EUSOP (Oncology Pharmacy)
Dr. Samson W. Watta is an experienced pharmacist and oncology pharmacy leader with over twenty years of clinical and pharmaceutical management experience in the United States and Kenya. He currently serves as the Director and Pharmacist-in-Charge at Texas Cancer Centre, where he oversees pharmaceutical services and ensures the safe and efficient delivery of cancer treatment medications.
In this role, he manages chemotherapy procurement and administration systems, ensures regulatory compliance, and works closely with oncologists and multidisciplinary teams to improve patient care.
Dr. Watta has extensive international experience in pharmacy leadership. Before working in Kenya, he served as Pharmacy Manager at Wal-Mart Supercenter in the United States (2001–2009) and later held leadership and clinical pharmacy roles at CVS/Caremark, where he managed pharmacy operations, supervised pharmacists and technicians, and provided patient-centered medication counseling and adherence programs. His work also included community outreach initiatives focused on chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, where he participated in the Frederick Douglass Honors Program and community health initiatives focused on improving chronic disease management. He further enhanced his oncology knowledge through certification in Oncology Pharmacy from the European Society of Oncology Pharmacy (EUSOP) in 2022. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Oncology Pharmacy to further develop his expertise in cancer pharmacotherapy and clinical oncology practice.
Dr. Watta’s professional interests include oncology pharmacy practice, medication therapy management, patient counseling, and strengthening pharmaceutical systems in cancer care. He is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and the European Society of Oncology Pharmacists (ESOP).
Through his leadership in oncology pharmacy and dedication to patient-centered care, Dr. Watta continues to improve access to safe and effective cancer treatment services.
