Who we
are

Expertise at the nexus of policy,

evidence, and scale

Who we
are

Expertise at the nexus of policy,

evidence, and scale

Who we
are

Expertise at the nexus of policy, evidence, and scale

At Fit for Purpose, we deploy our expertise across the challenges of influencing policy, using evidence and achieving scale. We bring decades of experience in policy engagement and implementation in Kenya and across Africa.

The Fit for Purpose Team

Patricia Mugambi Ndegwa
Patricia Mugambi Ndegwa

OUR EXPERTISE

Fit for Purpose founders have confronted big questions, taken on daunting challenges, and solved complex problems across the fields of policy, evidence, and scale. We support leaders with a mission, offering wise counsel that only personal experience can provide.

We have founded new institutions and non-profits; designed and led research endeavours; and designed new programs. We have brought those programs to scale and successfully embedded them in government systems. As a result, we hold expertise in working with governments, influencing policy, and delivering services in low-income environments. We have worked as representatives on the ground and forged diverse partnerships; we know how to build coalitions for change, and who needs to be in the room. We embrace the daily challenges and joys of getting things done on the ground, and of finding elegant solutions to tough problems. We know what it means for implementers to chart a course to scale; we have made that journey ourselves. 

Finally, we are skilled in conveying our experience. We know the types of coaching, mentoring, and advice that are useful to CEOs and to staff at every level of an organization. We know what good research looks like, and we can explain its implications for your decisions. We can synthesize, analyze, assess, and distill it into practical, actionable advice. And in a crisis, we can be by your side, troubleshooting and helping you hold it all together.

 

Fit for Purpose: our expertise lies in policy, in evidence, and in scale.

Scroll to Top
Patricia Mugambi

PATRICIA MUGAMBI-NDEGWA

Co-Founder, FIt For Purpose

Patricia is an economist by training and a seasoned development professional with over twenty years of experience in Kenya, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and the United States. She brings extensive expertise in strategic partnerships; government engagement; Public-Private Partnership management; program delivery and management; coordination, convening, policy and governance; technical assistance and capacity building. Before co-founding Fit for Purpose, Patricia served in regional-level roles for Big Win Philanthropy UK; the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation; and the Global Business Coalition for Health, among others. She earned a BA in International Relations and Political Science (Hons) and an MA in Economics from New York University. Patricia serves in the National Leadership Group of the Commonwealth Business Women’s Forum, Kenya Chapter and the Kenya Women in Business network.
Back Home
Dr Karen Levy

Dr Karen Levy

Co-Founder, FIt For Purpose

Based in Nairobi, Karen is a serial social entrepreneur with over twenty-five years of experience working in Africa and South Asia. She has played a key role in building the global ecosystem for evidence and scale in international development and has an extensive track record of bringing evidence-based programs and organizations from early concept stages to national-level scale. Before co-founding Fit for Purpose, Karen held senior leadership and founding roles at Evidence Action, Innovations for Poverty Action, Deworm the World, and the Tawasal Institute. A strategic thinker and creative problem-solver, she has extensive technical expertise in using evidence to design, implement, and monitor development interventions. Karen has a deep understanding of what it takes to build partnerships and coalitions. She earned her MSc in Social Policy from the London School of Economics and her PhD in Development Planning from the University of London. Karen participated in Y Combinator in 2017, and is a recipient of the Echoing Green Fellowship for her leadership as a social entrepreneur. She is a fluent Swahili speaker. 

Back Home
Dr Karen Levy

Dr Karen Levy

Co-Founder, FIt For Purpose

Based in Nairobi, Karen is a serial social entrepreneur with over twenty-five years of experience working in Africa and South Asia. She has played a key role in building the global ecosystem for evidence and scale in international development and has an extensive track record of bringing evidence-based programs and organizations from early concept stages to national-level scale. Before co-founding Fit for Purpose, Karen held senior leadership and founding roles at Evidence Action, Innovations for Poverty Action, Deworm the World, and the Tawasal Institute. A strategic thinker and creative problem-solver, she has extensive technical expertise in using evidence to design, implement, and monitor development interventions. Karen has a deep understanding of what it takes to build partnerships and coalitions. She earned her MSc in Social Policy from the London School of Economics and her PhD in Development Planning from the University of London. Karen participated in Y Combinator in 2017, and is a recipient of the Echoing Green Fellowship for her leadership as a social entrepreneur. She is a fluent Swahili speaker. 

Back Home
Patricia Mugambi

PATRICIA MUGAMBI-NDEGWA

Co-Founder, FIt For Purpose

Patricia is an economist by training and a seasoned development professional with over twenty years of experience in Kenya, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and the United States. She brings extensive expertise in strategic partnerships; government engagement; Public-Private Partnership management; program delivery and management; coordination, convening, policy and governance; technical assistance and capacity building. Before co-founding Fit for Purpose, Patricia served in regional-level roles for Big Win Philanthropy UK; the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation; and the Global Business Coalition for Health, among others. She earned a BA in International Relations and Political Science (Hons) and an MA in Economics from New York University. Patricia serves in the National Leadership Group of the Commonwealth Business Women’s Forum, Kenya Chapter and the Kenya Women in Business network.
Back Home

New Incentives

New Incentives uses cash transfers to increase rates of immunization against deadly diseases in northern Nigeria. Fit for Purpose supports New Incentives in this mission by providing coaching, mentoring, strategic advisory, and technical assistance services. Since 2017, Karen has advised Svetha Janumpalli, New Incentives CEO and leading social entrepreneur, on organizational strategy, government engagement, and planning for scale. Recently, she has helped New Incentives build on randomised control trial  results and successfully navigate GiveWell’s intensive ‘Top Charity’ assessment process.

Back Home

M-Pesa Foundation

The M-Pesa Foundation partners with Kenyans on large scale and long term highly impactful social projects. The foundation selected Fit for Purpose to create, deliver, and oversee Impact Philanthropy Africa, a new Forum to galvanise corporate giving in Kenya.

Back Home

The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)

Patricia led the Africa Global Strategy and Partnership team at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. There she built deep relationships with governments across Africa, executing a new strategy across Africa and advising on its rollout in Asia. In this role, she negotiated funding commitments from governments to improve children’s lives, and forestalled policy changes that would have damaged CIFF grantees and delayed their mission.

Back Home

Young 1ove

Young 1ove connects youth to proven life-saving information. During her time at Evidence Action and supported by the Global Innovation Fund, Karen provided strategic advice and technical assistance to co-founders Noam Angrist and Moitshepi Matsheng, helping them navigate strategic planning, organizational development, advocacy, and government engagement.

Back Home