Reducing infections in Kenyan neonatal units

Michuki focuses on preventing hospital-acquired infections in neonatal and paediatric units in Kenya. His recent work tested the use of nurse assistants to support infection control tasks. By improving hygiene and reducing healthcare-associated infections, this research aims to protect vulnerable infants and combat antimicrobial resistance in resource-limited hospital settings.

Michuki Maina is a Kenyan trained paediatrician and health systems researcher based at the KEMRI-Wellcome trust programme (KWTRP) in Nairobi having previously worked for the Ministry of Health. His main areas of work at KWTRP have been in the national paediatric guideline development process through conducting systematic reviews on neonatal feeding and respiratory support.

Michuki has been involved in setting up a neonatal clinical information network in Kenyan public hospitals from 2015. He has been a co-investigator on an ESRC funded project that was looking at Infection Prevention and Control and Antibiotic Stewardship arrangements in Kenyan hospitals as interventions to avert antimicrobial resistance. This project also formed the basis of his doctoral studies at the University of Amsterdam. Michuki has maintained close working relationships with the Ministry of Health through his involvement in the national infection prevention and control technical working group.

Michuki’s broader research interests include improving the quality of paediatric and neonatal care and improving antibiotic stewardship. He is also an active member of the Kenya Paediatric Association.