Rose Wanjirù Kamenwa

Rose Wanjirū Kamenwa (13 May 1955 – 8 February 2026) was a Kenyan paediatrician, academic, and pioneering paediatric gastroenterologist. She was recognized as the first trained paediatric gastroenterologist in Kenya and Eastern Africa, and a leading authority in paediatric nutrition, and gastrointestinal diseases in children. Kamenwa was a certified lactation management consultant with over 30 years of experience in teaching and providing breastfeeding support. She was known for her clinical work, teaching, and contributions to child health in Kenya, particularly through her role at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi. She served as a consultant paediatric gastroenterologist at major institutions including Aga Khan University Hospital, Kenyatta National Hospital, and Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, and was an academic faculty member at Aga Khan University.

Early life and education Kamenwa was born on 13 May 1955 in Kamacharia Location, Murang’a County, Kenya, to Joram Mugo and Julia Wanjiku Mugo. Her husband is Dr. Leonard Kamenwa Njenga. She has four children.

Career Kamenwa is recognized as the first trained paediatric gastroenterologist in Kenya and Eastern Africa. She is a founding director of Nairobi Pediatric Gastroenterology Centre. Kamenwa began her career as a medical officer at Kenyatta National Hospital in the mid-1980s before specialising in paediatrics and later paediatric gastroenterology.

Administrative roles Kamenwa served in multiple roles. She was a full time faculty and paediatric gastroenterologist at the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health in Agha Khan University in Nairobi from February 2011. She was Lead consultant and Assistant Professor at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, for over a decade. clinical outcomes of children with rotavirus infection at Kenyatta National Hospital, a study examining morbidity and clinical outcomes of paediatric rotavirus gastroenteritis in Kenya, and prevalence and genetic diversity of rotavirus infection in children in Nairobi. She has co-authored an article, Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in exclusively breastfed infants at a tertiary healthcare facility in Nairobi, Kenya.

Professional affiliations and memberships Source: North American Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN), Nairobi Pediatric Gastroenterology Centre (NPGC), Kenya Medical Women's Association (KMWA), and Gastroenterology Society of Kenya (GSK). She also participated in international research networks like the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN). Her death was mourned widely within Kenya’s medical community where she was recognized as a pioneer in Paediatric Gastroenterology and child health.