Prof. S. Wagura Ndiritu

Professor S. Wagura Ndiritu
Associate Professor
Strathmore University
Business School

Professor Simon Wagura Ndiritu is an Associate Professor of Development Economics at Strathmore University Business School and a Senior Research Fellow with the Environment for Development (EfD) Initiative. He is the Founder and Director of the Strathmore Agri-Food Innovation Center (SAFIC), and has served in several strategic roles, including Academic Director for the Masters in Agribusiness and advisor to the Kenya Climate Innovation Center.

His broad research portfolio spans applied micro-econometrics, climate change, environmental and water resource economics, agriculture, and development economics. He has partnered with global institutions such as CIMMYT, FAO, BCG, ILRI, ETH Zurich, Green Venture Africa, IPA, Rockefeller Foundation and the Gates Foundation on transformative work in climate-smart agriculture, Making carbon removal work for sustainable development, pastoralism and livestock systems, value chain development, AI-enabled advisory services for farmers, Impact evaluation of regenerative agriculture, and One Health policy.

Prof. Wagura holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and is a recipient of multiple distinguished awards, including the AERC prize for Best Master’s Thesis and Strathmore University’s Overall Researcher of the Year (2024).

In addition to his academic leadership, Prof. Wagura actively supports agribusiness innovation—coaching SMEs in livestock, poultry, and horticulture value chains, and driving advancements in post-harvest management and climate resilience to transform market systems. He is also guiding the co-creation of a sustainable, business-modelled bundle of interventions and evaluating stakeholder willingness-to-accept across targeted smallholder dairy and pastoralism systems.

A dedicated scholar, practitioner, and innovator, Prof. Wagura continues to champion evidence-driven solutions that strengthen Kenya’s and Africa’s agri-food systems and his research work has been published in reputable journals. Professor Simon holds a PhD. in Economics from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, a Master of Arts Degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Education Degree in Economics and Mathematics – both from the University of Nairobi.

Qualifications

PhD. in Economics from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

MA (Economics) degree with the best master thesis and a Bachelor of Education (Economics and Mathematics) degree (First class honours), all from the University of Nairobi.

Prof. Ndiritu has won several scholarships and awards. These include: , The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) Academic Board prize for the best Master’s thesis in the 2006/2007 Academic year and the best gender paper for CCAFS 2011 (Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security). His research work has been published in reputable journals.

He is currently involved in One health policy dialogue with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (“FAO”) where they assist in understanding the private sector and what incentives they need to adopt good practices along the poultry value chain. They are now finalizing the study on implications of adoption of good practices on business models, profitability, and bankability along the poultry value chain for the urban and peri-urban in Kiambu and Nairobi Counties.

To Contact Prof. Simon, send an email to: sndiritu@strathmore.edu

Research Interest

Applied Micro- Econometrics
Environmental Resources
Economics of Water Resources
Agriculture and Development Economics

Publications

S. Wagura Ndiritu and Geoffrey Muricho (2021) Impact of climate change adaptation on food security: evidence from semi-arid lands, Kenya. Climatic Change 167, 24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-03180-3
Wagura Ndiritu (2021) Drought responses and adaptation strategies to climate change in semi-arid area, Laikipia, Kenya. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 26, 10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-021-09949-2
Edward M. Mungai, Wagura Ndiritu and Tazeeb Rajwani (2020) Raising the bar? Top Management Team, Gender Diversity and Environmental sustainability. Africa Journal of Management, 6:4, 269-294, https://doi.org/10.1080/23322373.2020.1830688
Wagura Ndiritu and Monica Katungi Engola (2020). The effectiveness of Feed-in-Tariff Policy in Promoting Power Generation from Renewable Energy in Kenya. Renewable Energy, An International Journal, Volume 161, December 2020, Pages 593-605 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2020.07.082
Wagura Ndiritu (2020) Beef value chain analysis and climate change adaptation and investment options in the semi-arid lands of northern Kenya. Journal of Arid Environment, Volume 181, October 2020, 104216 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2020.104216
Edward M. Mungai, Wagura Ndiritu and Tazeeb Rajwani (2020) Do voluntary environmental management systems improve Environmental performance? Evidence from waste management by Kenyan firms. Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 265, 20 August 2020, 121636, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121636
William Nganga Irungu, Julien Chevallier, Simon Wagura Ndiritu (2020) Regime Changes and Fiscal Sustainability in Kenya. Economic Modelling Journal, Volume 86, Pages 1-9, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2019.01.009
Wagura Ndiritu and Ruhinduka, Remidius Denis (2019): Climate variability and post-harvest food loss abatement technologies: evidence from rural Tanzania. Studies in Agricultural Economics, 121 (1). pp. 30-40. https://doi.org/10.7896/j.1822
Patrick Nderitu and Wagura Ndiritu (2018) Effects of Mergers on Processed Milk Market in Kenya. Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies Vol. 8 Issue: 3, pp.480-500, https://doi.org/10.1108/JADEE-04-2016-0021
Duncan Kibunyi, Wagura Ndiritu, Hector Carcel and Luis A. Gil-Alana (2017) Real estate prices in Kenya: is there a bubble? Journal of the Housing and the Built Environment; Volume 32, Issue 4, pp 787–804. doi:10.1007/s10901-017-9541-x
Robert Mudida Wagura Ndiritu and Thomas W. Ross (2015) Kenya’s New Competition Policy Regime World Competition 38, no. 3: 437–462.
Wagura Ndiritu, Menale Kassie and Bekele Shiferaw (2014) Are there systematic gender differences in the adoption of joint sustainable intensification practices? Evidence from Kenya. Food policy journal, Volume 49, Part 1, December 2014, Pages 117–127. Doi: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2014.06.010
Kassie Menale, Simon Wagura Ndiritu and Jesper Stage (2014) Gender inequalities and Food security in Kenya: Application of Switching regression. World Development, Vol.56, April 2014, pp 153–171 Doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.10.025
Joseph Onjala, Simon Wagura Ndiritu and Jesper Stage (2014) Risk Perception, Choice of Drinking Water, and Water Treatment Evidence from Kenyan Towns. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 4, 2, pages 268-280 doi:10.2166/washdev.2014.131
Ndiritu, Simon Wagura and Wilfred Nyangena (2011) Environmental goods collection and children’s schooling: Evidence from Kenya. Regional Environmental Change, 11(3), 531-542 http://www.springerlink.com/content/470430708568p4qj/

Working Papers

William Irungu Ng’ang’a, Julien Chevallier, and Simon Wagura Ndiritu (2019). Investigating fiscal and monetary policies coordination and public debt in Kenya: evidence from regime-switching and self-exciting threshold autoregressive models. Economics Discussion Papers, No 2019-40, Kiel Institute for the World Economy. http://www.economics-ejournal.org/economics/discussionpapers/2019-40
William Nganga, Julien Chevallier, Simon Wagura Ndiritu 2018. Regime changes and fiscal sustainability in Kenya with comparative nonlinear Granger causalities across East-African countries. https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01941226

Books & Cases

Peer Reviewed Book chapter in Major reference works and handbooks:

The papers are online and can be cited.

Wagura Ndiritu (2019) Drought preparedness and livestock management strategies by pastoralists in semi-arid lands: Laikipia North, Kenya. Current Directions in Water Scarcity Research, Volume 2, 2019, Pages 247-263. Chapter 17 In Everisto Mapedza, Daniel Tsegai, Michael Bruntrup and Robert McLeman (Eds.) Drought challenges: Livelihood implications in developing countries, Volume Two, published by Elsevier Science, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814820-4.00017-1
Mungai E.M., Ndiritu S.W., Da Silva I. (2020) Unlocking Climate Finance Potential for Climate Adaptation: Case of Climate Smart Agricultural Financing in Sub Saharan Africa. In: Leal Filho W., Ogugu N., Adelake L., Ayal D., Da Silva I. (eds) African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42091-8_172-1

Case Studies Written

Wagura Ndiritu 2016 Smallholder dilemma on the emerging Kenyan food safety concerns Published by the Case Centre, UK, case registration no: 215-103-1/8 https://www.thecasecentre.org/educators/products/view?id=131657

Policy briefs

Policy briefs

- Transforming the beef value chain in northern Kenya: opportunities for the private sector
- Gender issues in food security and agricultural technology adoption in rural Kenya
- PRISE POLICY BRIEF: Climate-resilient economic development in Kenya’s ASALs: A pathway to achieving The Big Four Agenda. Authors Claire Bedelian, Elizabeth Carabine, Mohammed Said, Robina Abuya, Joanes Atela, Fred Atieno, Florence Crick, Kate Gannon, Stephen Moiko, Joseph Muhwanga, Simon Wagura Ndiritu, and Catherine Simonet.