Journalist, writer and curator, The Wall of Great Africans
Charles Onyango-Obbo
Journalist, writer and curator, The Wall of Great Africans
Mr. Onyango-Obbo has a wide experience in journalism and has published three books: Uganda’s Poorly Kept Secrets (Fountain Publishers, Third Edition 2003); Inside the Soul of a Nation and Its People (Fountain Publishers, 2007) and; It Never Happened: The Story of the Last Days of Idi Amin (Oxford University Press, 2008). He is a Nieman Fellow from Harvard University and holds a BA degree from Makerere University, Uganda and a Master’s degree in journalism from the American University in Cairo, Egypt.
Geoffrey Monari
Chief Executive Officer and Secretary to the Board of Trustees - Universities Fund
Geoffrey Monari
Chief Executive Officer and Secretary to the Board of Trustees - Universities Fund
Mr. Geoffrey Monari is the Chief Executive Officer and Secretary to the Board of Trustees at Universities Fund Kenya. He has over 20 years working experience in various positions at the Higher Education Loans Board. Before his appointment he was the Chief Operations Officer at Higher Education Loans Board. Mr. Monari has been the team leader of the Operations Division which oversees the Documentation, Lending, Institutional Relations and Debt Management departments since March 2016. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Albert Mwenda
Director General, Budget, Fiscal & Economic Affairs - National Treasury
Albert Mwenda
Director General, Budget, Fiscal & Economic Affairs - National Treasury
Mr. Albert Mwenda is the Director General, Budget, Fiscal and Economic Affairs at the National Treasury. He has over 20 years of experience in central government and private sector organisations.
Prior to his current appointment he served as the Director of the Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations Department of the National Treasury which he helped to establish. He has made significant contributions in the recent development of Kenya’s policy and legislative framework for public finance management, including the management of fiscal relations between the two levels of government.
Albert made significant contribution in the formulation of the Public Finance Management Act, the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act and the Public Audit Act. Albert also coordinated the formulation of the policy to support the enhancement of county own source revenue. He has also contributed in the design of Kenya’s current framework for management intergovernmental fiscal transfers and coordinated the formulation of annual Division of Revenue Bills and County Allocation of Revenue Bills.
Albert has also worked as a consultant for organizations such as the World Bank, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA-Rwanda), State University of New York (SUNY Kenya), Society for International Development (SID), among others.
Albert holds a Masters degree in Public and Economic Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK as well as a Masters of Business Administration (Finance) from the University of Nairobi (UON). He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi (UON).
Brenda Diana Akoth
Development and Governance Expert
Brenda Diana Akoth
Development and Governance Expert
Brenda is a development and governance expert who is passionate about championing good governance and democracy. She has a record of driving significant policy development, innovating programs that are responsive to changing political contexts, and fostering successful collaboration between diverse stakeholders.
Her career has been distinguished by her capacity to develop and operationalise ground-breaking democracy and governance programs involving stakeholders at the highest level of Kenya’s government. Brenda pioneered and managed the first climate change programme in Kenya’s Parliament, which raised the level and quality of discussion about climate change and resulted in legislation to address it.
She conceptualised and helped establish the Kenyan Counties Assemblies Forum, a vital coordinating body for Kenya’s sub-national legislatures. Working with Kenya’s Council of Governors, helped to design and establish Kenya’s Annual Devolution Conference, which gathers over 2000 leaders and citizens every year to discuss key developments and challenges to the country’s governance. In the Senate, Brenda led the innovation and establishment of the Senate County Legislative Attachment program to benchmark and share best legislative practices among Kenya’s county and national legislatures.
Brenda has received multiple academic scholarships, including the competitive and prestigious Chevening Scholarship for her Master’s degree and Commonwealth Scholarship for her doctoral degree. She holds a PhD in Politics (Local Government Studies) from the University of Birmingham, UK. She also obtained a Master of Arts (Public Policy) from Kings College, London and a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) from Strathmore University in Kenya.
Sammy Mwendwa Mutavi Muvellah
Economist and Investments Manager
Sammy Mwendwa Mutavi Muvellah
Economist and Investments Manager
Mr. Muvellah has over 15 years of experience in Financial and Economic analysis including Project Management gained over the years working with leading asset management and engineering firms. He has worked on the preparation of financial models and business plan in the water sector in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Mozambique. His main areas of competencies are: Capital markets analysis, Investment analysis and investment programme modelling, Financial analysis of water and sanitation supply projects, Private sector experience together with knowledge of money markets, banking and investor climate, and preparation of financial aspects of business plan and models. Muvellah holds a BA degree in Economics from Egerton University and an MA in Economics from the University of Nairobi.
Raphael Agung’
Director and Chief Economist - NCBA
Raphael Agung’
Director and Chief Economist - NCBA
Mr. Agung’ is the Director and Chief Economist at NCBA, a position he took up after serving as the Head of Treasury for CBA. He holds an MBA from United States International University – Africa. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Nairobi and BCom in Finance from Kenyatta University. He has over 20 years’ experience in banking, economic policy and research, data science/predictive analytics.
Phyllis Wakiaga
Senior Private Sector Development Advisor- Industrialisation Practise at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Phyllis Wakiaga
Senior Private Sector Development Advisor- Industrialisation Practise at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Phyllis Wakiaga is an accomplished professional with over 15 years of experience in Private Sector Development, Public Policy Formulation, Stakeholder and Government Relations, Industrial Policy, International Trade and Investment, Strategy Formulation and Execution, Human Capital Management, Resource Mobilization, Financial Oversight Corporate Governance and Sustainability.
She is currently the Senior Private Sector Development Advisor- Industrialisation Practise at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change where she supports the work on the design and implementation of industrial strategies, bringing her depth of expertise and experience to 17 African countries much in need of industrialisation and economic transformation. She also drives, continental public-private dialogue initiatives and the development of global investment programmes across several sectors which are important for the economic transformation of the continent.
Phyllis is the immediate former Chief Executive of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) and worked at the Association for 9 years from June 2013 to June 2022. She was the Head of Policy, Research and Advocacy and in 2015 took over at the CEO at the Association. During her tenure she drove the prioritisation of Manufacturing as a strategic productive sector in Kenya and positioned the Kenyan Manufacturing Sector Regionally and globally. She also represented KAM on various boards and organisations including the Anti-Counterfeit Agency, Kenya Intellectual Property Institute, Kenya Private Sector Alliance, EAC Manufacturers Network, COMESA Business Council, Private Sector Covid Fund Board amongst others.
Ms. Wakiaga was also the Chair of United Nations Global Compact Network, Kenya Chapter from 2017-2022. She drove the growth of the Network to the largest Corporate Sustainability Network in Africa.
Before joining the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, she was the Manager for Government and Industry at Kenya Airways and prior to that worked at Otieno Omuga and Ouma Advocates as a Pupil and Legal Assistant.
She is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and has a Bachelor of Law and master’s in international Trade and Investment Law from University of Nairobi. She is also a holder of a Higher Diploma in Human Resource Management, Executive MBA and is currently finalizing her PHD in Leadership and Governance at the Jomo Kenyatta University. Phyllis is an Alumni of the Swedish Institute Management Program on Sustainable Leadership and has been trained by Strathmore and John Hopkins University of Public Policy and Private Sector Development.
Phyllis is a member Board Member of the Kenya Electricity Generating Company Board, Kenya Roads Board, and sits on the Board of Trustees of United States International University and the Management University of Africa Council. She has been recognized among the Business Daily Top 40 under 40 Business 2016, Top 10 Kenyan Communicators 2017, Top Africa Economic Leaders for Tomorrow on the Choiseul 100 Africa list 2018 and one of the 2019 Most Influential People of African Descent, Global 100 Under 40.
IEA Secretariat
Kwame Owino
Chief Executive Officer
Kwame Owino
Chief Executive Officer
Kwame has been instrumental in leading IEA Kenya’s strategic intervention into the go-to think tank for Sub-Saharan Africa and the region. Having risen through the ranks at IEA Kenya, Kwame’s led research and policy dialogue in economic regulation and competition policy. He also has diverse interests on economic regulation, employment economics and public sector reform. He undertakes and oversees research in IEA Kenya’s key policy areas on public expenditure and revenue analysis, international trade, economic regulation, devolution and the use of futures methodologies to inform public affairs in Kenya.
Millicent Osongo
Finance Manager
Millicent Osongo
Finance Manager
Millicent has diverse experience in the finance field. She is charged with managing the project and organizational day-to-day of finances to ensure controls and delivery of projects within set timelines and proposed budgets. Millicent holds a degree in Bachelor of Business Management (Finance) from Moi University, Certified Public Accountant CPA (K), and is a member of ICPAK.
John Mutua
Programmes Coordinator
John Mutua
Programmes Coordinator
John has a wealth of experience in public finance management and in general macroeconomics. On this, he has conducted research and public policy analysis, reviewed related legislations, authored publications and facilitated numerous budget and general economic literacy fora for civil society organizations and parliamentarians. John holds a Masters of Arts in Economics from the University of Nairobi and is the head of the Programme on Public Finance Management (PFM).
Jackline Kagume
Programme Officer (Constitution, Law and the Economy)
Jackline Kagume
Programme Officer (Constitution, Law and the Economy)
Jackline is a lawyer by profession and training with specific interest in legislative development and public policy research. She has contributed significantly to development and review of laws, and policies on public financial management, human rights and devolution. She has also worked in different capacities at the Commission for Implementation of the Constitution of Kenya, tasked with monitoring and overseeing the development of laws and administrative procedures to implement the Kenyan Constitution.
Stephen Jairo
Assistant Programme Officer (Regulation and Competition)
Stephen Jairo
Assistant Programme Officer (Regulation and Competition)
Stephen areas of interest and expertise include trade, economic regulation and competition. His skills include report writing, analyses, project management, proposal development and at the core, research. He also possesses admirable ICT skills and holds a Diploma in IT from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
James Ndung’u
Accounts Assistant
James Ndung’u
Accounts Assistant
James works in the Finance Department at the IEA Kenya. He is passionate about business management and has extensive experience in not-for-profit financial management including procurement. James has a degree in Business Administration/Purchasing and Supplies Management from the St. Paul’s University. He also has a Diploma in Business Management from Kenya Institute of Management.
Oscar Ochieng’
Communications
Oscar Ochieng’
Communications
Oscar is creative and innovative with experience managing organizational communication activities. He is a tech-savvy with sound knowledge of digital media management, and has good writing, editing skills. Oscar holds a Certificate in Film/Video Programme Production at Kenya Institute of Mass Communication. He also holds Bachelor’s degree in Sociology & Communication from the University of Nairobi.
Maureen Barasa
Research Officer in the Popular Economics Programme
Maureen Barasa
Research Officer in the Popular Economics Programme
Maureen is a Research Officer in the Popular Economics Programme at the Institute of Economic Affairs Kenya. She has interest and expertise in Public Economics, economic research and policy analysis.
Raphael Muya
Programme Officer (Public Finance Management)
Raphael Muya
Programme Officer (Public Finance Management)
Raphael has immense interest in public finance management where he currently works at the IEA Kenya. He has written and co-authored various publications on budgets information. He is an experienced researcher, writer, trainer and analyst. Raphael holds a Bachelors degree in Economics, Statistics and Accounting from Egerton University.
Mungai Karori
Driver
Mungai Karori
Driver
Mungai has experience on the road and has been a valuable team member in aiding the IEA-Kenya team meet deliverables. On the social front, he enjoys reading Christian literature.
Winnie Ogejo
Assistant Programme Officer (Futures Approach)
Winnie Ogejo
Assistant Programme Officer (Futures Approach)
Ogejo is an Assistant Programme Officer in the Futures Programme at IEA-Kenya. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. Her areas of interest include Development Communication, Public Policy, Decentralized Governance, and Scenarios building.
Emmanuel Wa-Kyendo
Assistant Programme Officer (Trade and Development Programme)
Emmanuel Wa-Kyendo
Assistant Programme Officer (Trade and Development Programme)
He has an interest in industrialization, trade and the effect of the free markets on development and economic outcomes.
Tandisonia Mwandama
Personal Assistant to the CEO
Tandisonia Mwandama
Personal Assistant to the CEO
Tandi combines her excellent interpersonal skills and interest in research to execute her role at the IEA – Kenya. She is the personal assistant to the Chief Executive Officer and provides support to the IEA Kenya team in general. Tandi holds a degree in Bachelor of Business Administration from Riara University. She also holds a Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Human Resource Management.
Leo Kipkogei Kemboi
Programme Officer (CLE)
Leo Kipkogei Kemboi
Programme Officer (CLE)
Leo Kemboi is an Economist and Programme Officer for the Constitution, Law and Economy Programme at the Institute of Economic Affairs, with experience in public policy research. Leo has an immense interest in general economic analysis, labour economics, economic regulation, public finance management and public policy.
Justus Awiti
IT Officer
Justus Awiti
IT Officer
Awiti is the IT support staff at IEA-Kenya.
Agnes Mwangeka
Accounts Assistant
Agnes Mwangeka
Accounts Assistant
Agnes is an Accountant, and works in the Finance Team at IEA Kenya. She holds a degree in Bachelor of Commerce (Finance), and is passionate about finance and economics.
Seka Nicanory
Office Assistant
Seka Nicanory
Office Assistant
Seka supports various office administration duties, including facility and general maintenance services.
Margaret Mugure
Front Office
Margaret Mugure
Front Office
Mugure joined IEA-Kenya in 2019 and she provides frontline administrative support operations and activities.
