Dr. Anne Akoya Khasakhala
Adjunct Professor of Demography and Public Health, University of Nairobi
Member, PollsAfrica Expert Network for Kenya
Adjunct Professor of Demography and Public Health, University of Nairobi · Nairobi, Kenya
Areas of expertise
- Demography and population studies
- Adolescent sexual and reproductive health
- Ageing and social protection
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Gender and development
Research focus
Dr. Khasakhala is a demographer who has spent more than three decades on population and development research in Kenya and across East and Southern Africa, with a particular commitment to adolescent and youth wellbeing. Her work on adolescent sexual and reproductive health includes research on contraceptive use, method choice and discontinuation among adolescents and young women, and the Kenya census monograph on adolescents and youth.
She also works on ageing and social protection. She is currently co-principal investigator on a qualitative study of health systems, social protection and the wellbeing of older people in Kisii, Siaya, Embu and Kilifi counties, and led a longitudinal study of older persons in Nairobi from 2019 to 2022.
Her approach is community-centred, and she is known for turning research findings into practical guidance for government and development partners.
Selected experience
- Adjunct Professor of Demography and Public Health, University of Nairobi (2023 to present)
- Director, Population Studies and Research Institute, University of Nairobi (2017 to 2022)
- Visiting scholar, North-West University, University of South Africa and University of KwaZulu-Natal
- Principal investigator or consultant, UNICEF, UNFPA, UN Women, USAID and the African Union
- Field research coordinator, Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey in Kakamega, Bungoma and Turkana counties, KNBS and UNICEF (2013 to 2014)
- Literature review on child harmful practices (female genital mutilation, child marriage and violence against children), UNICEF Kenya (2015)
- Population Situation Analysis and State of Kenya Population Report, UNFPA and the National Council for Population and Development (2012 to 2015)
- Study on gender statistics, UN Women (2021)
- Population, health and environment training manual, USAID and the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (2015)
Education
- PhD, Population Sciences (1999), International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai
- MSc, Medical Demography (1987), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Postgraduate Diploma, Population Studies (1984), University of Ghana
- BSc (Hons), Sociology (1979), University of North London
How Dr. Khasakhala strengthens PollsAfrica studies
On a PollsAfrica study, a key expert is a named person who answers for the work, not a name on a list. Dr. Khasakhala helps in four areas.
Population and demographic context
Survey results mean more when set against who lives where, how old they are and how the population is changing. She helps us frame that context and keep the numbers sound.
Adolescent and youth research
Where a study involves adolescents or young adults, she reviews how questions are worded, how sensitive topics are approached, and whether the sample and consent approach suit the group.
Monitoring and evaluation design
She has designed and taught monitoring and evaluation at postgraduate level. She reads our evaluation designs, indicators and questionnaires and tells us where they fall short.
Findings for policy audiences
She helps us turn results into findings that government and development partners can use, and tells us where a conclusion goes further than the data supports.
Her role is to give expert context and a second pair of eyes. PollsAfrica stays responsible for every study and for what we publish.
Back to all advisors and experts. This profile is published with the expert’s permission. She is a member of our expert network, not a member of staff.