CHAMPS Kenya
About Our Work
In Kenya, CHAMPS operates in the densely populated urban settlement of Kisumu and the rural areas of Siaya County. Our efforts focus on two local healthcare facilities: Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital and Kisumu East District Hospital. Through our data-driven approach, we identify programmatic gaps and formulate high-priority research questions that inform national healthcare actions. By collaborating with local partners, CHAMPS is enhancing child health outcomes and contributing to policy development at both local and national levels. Together, we are dedicated to creating positive change and empowering communities in Kenya, driving impactful data to action that addresses the critical challenges of child mortality and health disparities.
Our Impact
By leveraging data-driven strategies and collaborating with local partners, CHAMPS is creating a positive impact and fostering a hopeful future for vulnerable children in Kenyan communities within Kisumu and Siaya County.
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Meet the Directors
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Meet our Directors
Dr. Hellen C. Muttai is Kenya’s Co-Site Principal Investigator for the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Program. Dr. Muttai joined CHAMPS after over 15 years of distinguished service in public health, disease surveillance, and implementation science. She previously served as a Medical Epidemiologist at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Nairobi, Kenya (2023-2025), where she led disease surveillance, implementation science research, and provided technical support to Kenya’s Ministry of Health. Her CDC career included serving as Branch Chief for the Western Kenya Branch (2014-2020), managing a team of 20 public health specialists, and overseeing multi-million-dollar HIV prevention and treatment programs that helped achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. She also led national HIV prevention efforts (2020-2022) and served as Senior Technical Advisor for HIV Care and Treatment Programs (2008-2013).
Dr. Muttai has extensive expertise in epidemiology, infectious disease surveillance, health systems strengthening, and capacity building. She has played key roles in major population-based surveys, including Kenya’s Key Populations Bio-behavioral Survey and Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment Survey. Her research contributions include developing HIV risk-score screening algorithms and geospatial analysis methods that have informed national and global health policies. She has published extensively on HIV, TB, and infectious disease epidemiology, with her work influencing WHO guidelines and national health policies.
Dr. Muttai completed her PhD in Public Health/Epidemiology from Maseno University in 2023, holds a Master’s in Public Health in Epidemiology from Moi University, and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) from Moi University.
Key Partners
Stories of CHAMPS in Action
Explore stories of hope and impact as CHAMPS transforms the lives of children in Kenya through data-driven solutions and local partnerships.
Site Stories
August 1, 2024
Improving maternal and child health outcomes in Kuoyo Health Centre, Kenya
Read More… from Improving maternal and child health outcomes in Kuoyo Health Centre, Kenya
August 1, 2024
CHAMPS collaborates with local MoH to reduce neonatal mortality by promoting Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and Enhancing Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) in Siaya, Western Kenya
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Otieno, P., Akelo, V., Khagayi, S., Omore, R., Akoth, K., Nyanjom, M., Ngere, S., Ochola, K., Maixenchs, M., Kone, A., Blevins, J., Zielinski-Gutierrez, E., & Tippett Barr, B. A. (2023). Acceptability of minimally invasive autopsy by community members and healthcare workers in Siaya and Kisumu counties, western Kenya, 2017–2018. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(9), e0001319. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001319
Worldwide, nearly six million children under the age of five under 5 die annually, a substantial proportion of which are due to preventable and treatable…
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Gupta, P. M., Sivalogan, K., Oliech, R., Alexander, E., Klein, J., Addo, O. Y., Gethi, D., Akelo, V., Blau, D. M., & Suchdev, P. S. (2023). Impact of anthropometry training and feasibility of 3D imaging on anthropometry data quality among children under five years in a postmortem setting. PLOS ONE, 18(9), e0292046. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0292046
Background The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Network (CHAMPS) identifies causes of under-5 mortality in high mortality countries. Objective To address challenges in postmortem…
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Owuor, H. O., Akelo, V., Murila, F., et al. (2023). Prevalence and missed cases of respiratory distress syndrome disease amongst neonatal deaths enrolled in the Kenya Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Network (CHAMPS) Program between 2017 and 2021. Global Pediatric Health, 10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794X231212819
Objectives. To describe RDS in neonatal deaths at the CHAMPS-Kenya site between 2017 and 2021. Methods. We included 165 neonatal deaths whose their Causes of…
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Reynolds, E. C., Onyango, D., Mwando, R., Oele, E., Misore, T., Agaya, J., Otieno, P., Tippett Barr, B. A., Lee, G. O., & Akelo, V. (2021). Mothers’ perspectives of complementary feeding practices in an urban informal settlement in Kisumu County, Western Kenya. Current Developments in Nutrition, 5(5). https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab065
Background In informal settlements, the benefits of urban dwelling are diminished by conditions of poverty that exacerbate child undernutrition. The Child Health and Mortality Prevention…
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HIV Care Cascade Review: Case Reports from Kenya Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Network (CHAMPS) Program
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Child Deaths Caused by Klebsiella Pneumoniae in Kenya: Findings From The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS)
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Ngere, S., Maixenchs, M., Khagayi, S., et al. (2024). Health care-seeking behavior for childhood illnesses in western Kenya: Qualitative findings from the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Study [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations]. Gates Open Research, 8, 31. https://doi.org/10.12688/gatesopenres.14866.2
Background Child mortality in Kenya is 41 per 1,000 live births, despite extensive investment in maternal, newborn, and child health interventions. Caregivers’ health-seeking for childhood…
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Fashina, T., Kuthyar, S., Blau, D., Garel, M., Oliech, R., Agaya, J., Mwanza, J. C., Huachun, A., Rao, P., Grossniklaus, H. E., Otieno, K., Akelo, V., Breiman, R., Shantha, J., & Yeh, S. (2022). Ophthalmic imaging and impression cytology findings in the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Network. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 63(7), 4471 – A0181.
Purpose : Under-five mortality (U5M) rate is disproportionately high in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior studies have revealed an association between childhood blindness and U5M. Employing CHAMPS…
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Ngere, S. H., Akelo, V., Ondeng’e, K., Ridzon, R., Otieno, P., Nyanjom, M., Omore, R., & Tippett Barr, B. A. (2022). Traditional medicine beliefs and practices among caregivers of children under five years—The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS), western Kenya: A qualitative study. PLOS ONE, 17(11), e0276735. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276735
Background Approximately 80% of the population residing in sub-Saharan Africa relies on Traditional Medicine (TM). However, literature on factors motivating the use of TM for…
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Causes of death in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected children in the child health and mortality prevention surveillance study in Kenya
Onyango, D. O., Akelo, V., van der Sande, M. A. B., Ridzon, R., Were, J. A., Agaya, J. A., Oele, E. A., Wandiga, S., Igunza, A. K., Young, P. W., Blau, D. M., Joseph, R. H., Yuen, C. M., Zielinski-Gutierrez, E., & Tippett-Barr, B. A. (2022). Causes of death in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected children aged under-five years in western Kenya. AIDS, 36(1). https://journals.lww.com/aidsonline/fulltext/2022/01010/causes_of_death_in_hiv_infected_and_hiv_uninfected.7.aspx
Objectives: Describe the causes of death among infants and children less than 5 years stratified by HIV status. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of causes of death…
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