East Africa Chapter

Yona Wanjala is the current Director General of Civic Advisory Hub. He has more than 15 years of experience in Risk Assessment and Promotion of a safer working environment for Social Justice Leaders-SJL in Africa and some South-East Asia countries.

Previously, he worked with Protection International as a Risk Assessment and Protection Officer in the East and Horn of Africa Region, where he led initiatives geared at responding to operational risk for Social Justice Leaders focused on providing technical support on the planning and executing security and protection management activities. 

Yona is a member of the Global NPO Coalition on FATF, a network of diverse non-profit organizations (NPOs) globally that advocates for a risk-based implementation of FATF Recommendations affecting NPOs, particularly Recommendation 8. As a member of the Global NPO - Expert Hub, a working group of the Global NPO Coalition on FATF, Yona has conducted awareness training on AML/CFT to civil society initiatives in the West, East, and Southern Africa. 

Through his leadership at DPI, the organization has championed NGO-sectoral awareness raising on ML/TF, established the National NPO working groups on FATF, organized a number of strategic engagements with AML/CFT regulators, and conducted several studies on gaps and implications of the AML/CFT regulatory framework on the NPO sector. He is involved in charitable and professional causes. 

Yona is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist with the ACAMS; he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies and a Master’s in International Relations and Diplomacy from Nkumba University. Additionally, Yona holds a MA. In International Security Studies from the University of Leicester-United Kingdom, and a Diploma in Law from the Law Development Center.

Mrs. Hilda Gituro started her banking career in Kenya in 1998. She is currently the Head of Compliance & Combating Financial Crime at Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited a banking institution listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and regulated inter-alia by the Central Bank of Kenya and Capital Markets Authority. Hilda assumed her current role in January 2010 where she was instrumental in establishing the Compliance Risk Management Framework.

She is a member of the Kenya Bankers Compliance Committee which looks at existing and emerging compliance and financial crime risks in the banking industry and how to mitigate them. Hilda has also previously served on the Board of Trustees Mater Hospital-Kenya. She has consulted for the Government of Kenya during the National Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Risk Assessment and is an advocate for Public-Private Partnerships which would significantly enhance the fight against financial crime on a national and global scale.

Hilda is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), Certified in Advanced Financial Crimes Investigation (CAMS-FCI), Certified Global Sanctions Specialist, Certified Compliance Officer and Certified Fraud Examiner among others. She also holds a Masters of Business Administration (Finance) from United States International University-Kenya and a Bachelor of Commerce from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.

Jennifer Gitiri is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with over 15 years experience and currently the Director, Legal Services and Corporation Secretary at the Nairobi International Financial Centre. She is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), a Certified Public Secretary (CPS-K) and trained assessor under the Eastern and South Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG). Jennifer has participated in both National Risk Assessment and the Mutual Evaluation for Kenya that evaluates compliance with the Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) Recommendations.

Jennifer holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in Comparative Constitutional Law from the Central European University, a second LLM in Public International Law from the University of Nairobi, an Advanced Masters course in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oslo, a Post Graduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Nairobi.

Jennifer was awarded the Head of State Commendation by the President of the Republic of Kenya for her outstanding service.

During her free time, Jennifer enjoys traveling, reading and hiking.

Ahmed is currently the MLRO of Salaam Somali Bank and a former part-time Banking courses tutor at the Red Sea University, Ahmed is both Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist and Certified Global Sanctions Specialist by ACAMS and holds MSc in Banking from Gazi University, Turkey and BA in Accounting from Mogadishu University, Somalia and is a graduate of the National Training Academy in Egypt as part of the African Presidential Leadership Program Alumni.

Ahmed also holds other professional designations including the Certified Islamic Banker (CIB) from CIBAFI, the Certified Strategy and Business Planning Professional (C-SBP) & the Certified KPI Professional (C-KPI) from the KPI Institute and a certificate in Managing Sanctions Risk from the ICA.

Pacifique Muganwa is a seasoned compliance and financial crime prevention professional with over 15 years of experience in the banking and financial services sector. He currently serves as the Head of the Operational Compliance Division at the Central Bank of Rwanda, where he oversees the institution’s compliance program and AML/CFT framework, sanctions compliance, and correspondent banking relationships. He leads all matters related to financial crime compliance, including transaction monitoring, due diligence reviews, sanctions screening, regulatory reporting, and stakeholder engagement with national and international authorities.

He holds a Master’s in Business Administration (Finance & Accounting) and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Finance), both from Mount Kenya University. He is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and holds a Diploma in Managing Sanctions Risk from the International Compliance Association, as well as certification in Compliance Analysis. Pacifique is also a Certified Trainer awarded by the Luxembourg House of Training and is currently pursuing a Certificate in Trade Finance Compliance, further reinforcing his regional leadership in capacity building and compliance education.

Pacifique brings to the ACAMS Chapter Board a unique combination of regulatory insight, institutional policy development, and hands-on experience in sanctions screening, correspondent banking compliance, and financial crime risk mitigation. His commitment to promoting global standards, fostering cross-border collaboration, and safeguarding financial system integrity aligns strongly with the ACAMS mission.

Evelyn Fiona Namulondo is a Manager at Forvis Mazars BRJ, where she leads the AML/CFT Compliance team in developing and implementing anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism programs for clients across East Africa. She began her career in legal practice and transitioned into financial crime compliance, bringing over five years of experience in AML/CFT advisory, independent audits, and regulatory engagement.

She has conducted more than 70 AML/CFT independent audits and assessments across sectors including banking, insurance, accountancy, gaming, and non-profit organizations in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Somalia. She played a key role in the sector-wide AML/CFT audit of the accountancy profession in Rwanda, assessing 44 audit firms and developing a risk-based supervisory guidance manual for the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda.

Her work includes advising clients on legislative obligations, developing risk-based AML/CFT policies, conducting entity and sector risk assessments, and delivering training sessions to Boards, senior management, and compliance officers. She has also collaborated with regulatory bodies such as ICPAU, ICPAR, and the Financial Intelligence Authority to analyze emerging AML/CFT trends and regulatory developments.

She is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), holds certifications in Virtual Asset Analysis, Sanctions and Cryptocurrency, and is currently pursuing the Certified Global Sanctions Specialist (CGSS) designation. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre and is an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda.

Mohamed is a seasoned finance professional with over eight years of experience in risk management, compliance, and financial oversight. As Payment System Oversight officer at the Central Bank of Somalia, he oversees the safety, efficiency, and integrity of the payment systems in the country.

Mohamed previously worked in licensing, compliance, and regulation, supporting financial inclusion and regulatory reform in Somalia. He is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), Certified Islamic Banker (CIB), and Certified Digital Finance Practitioner (CDFP).

Mohamed holds an Executive Professional Master in Islamic Finance, an MBA in Finance, and a BA in Economics. He has completed advanced training in fintech, digital assets, and financial crime compliance at institutions like Cambridge Judge Business School, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).