2025 UHC Day Champion
Ogweno Stephen
Founder and CEO of Stowelink Foundation, Kenya
Browse other champions
- Countries driving UHC progress
- Dr. Ricardo Baptista Leite, Founder and President of UNITE - Parliamentarian’s Network for Global Health
- Dr. Viroj Tangcharoensathien, Vice Chair and Senior Advisor, International Health Policy Program Foundation, Thailand
- Solange Mbaye, Regional Programme Manager for Amref Health Africa, Senegal
- Levy Mkandawire, Programme Manager for Amref Health Africa, Zambia
- Concepta Kwaleyela, President of the Midwives Association of Zambia
- Professor Anne Beatrice Kihara, Former President of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Kenya
- Hester Mkwinda Nyasulu, Country Manager for Amref, Malawi
- Habibou Ouedraogo, Health Economist, Ministry of Health, Burkina Faso
- Hon. Hyun-Young Shin, Congresswoman, 21st National Assembly of Republic of Korea
Universal health coverage means protecting families from the financial burden of chronic disease. When we prevent NCDs, strengthen primary care and invest in equitable policies, we don’t just save lives - we break the cycle of poverty and illness.
Health for all is possible when every community has the power, the knowledge, and the resources to live well.
Ogweno Stephen is a Kenyan health advocate, a UHC Champion and CEO of Stowelink Foundation. Through Stowelink, he has led nationwide Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) prevention programs, reaching over 7 million people in 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, thus reducing the future financial strain of chronic diseases.
His direct advocacy achieved a vital increase in the NCD budget in Vihiga County from 3% in 2021 to 8% in 2022. This work, alongside roles at AMREF Health Africa and the NCD Alliance Kenya, has driven policies to integrate NCDs into primary healthcare, aiming to decrease catastrophic out-of-pocket spending for Kenyan families and making significant progress toward health for all. He also championed the adoption of the new nutrient profile model in 2025, an effort he began advocating for in 2021, earning multiple Quality Health Care Kenyan Awards.
Globally, Ogweno serves on the WHO Global Coordinating Mechanism for NCD Labs and the WHO Guideline Development Group for GLP-1 obesity medications, where he champions equity.
