Speaking truth with power:
Making truth powerful;
Making power truthful

Meet our Team

Kenneth Okwaroh
Executive Director
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Kenneth Okwaroh

Executive Director
Okwaroh is the Executive Director and a Research Associate at Acepis. He has broad experience (10 years) in research and analysis in Public policy. He has facilitated policy engagements, identified critical evidence gaps and conducted/contributed to research producing papers, policy briefs on economic and social policy in Eastern Africa. Okwaroh has advanced qualifications in International Relations (MA) and International Development (MSc). He has organized and coordinated research teams in conducting multiple assignments across Africa that include project/programme evaluations, policy analysis, political economy analyses and formative research work for development projects. His experience spans across assignments for civil society (NGOs), international organizations, private sector, thinktanks, philanthropists and government institutions in over sixteen (16) countries in Africa. He is a regular commentator on political economy issues in Eastern Africa.
Emmanuel Rukundo
Research Associate
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Emmanuel Rukundo

Research Associate
Emmanuel is a Research Associate at Acepis. He is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Development Research, University of Bonn. He does empirical research on health insurance in developing countries (in Africa), understanding aspirations and other future oriented perceptions and how they interact with household and individual outcomes. He has previously studied at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex and Makerere University Kampala. Emmanuel has worked with the World Bank Uganda's social protection team and spent more than two years at Development Initiatives Poverty Research where he carried out aid and budget analysis work to feed into the global open data and transparency agenda. His main research interests are in health and development, poverty analysis, social protection. He has also consulted for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (Uganda) on participatory poverty assessment and other organisations in Uganda.
Rachel Olpengs
Programmes Manager
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Rachel Olpengs

Programmes Manager
Rachael is the Programmes Manager and a Research Associate at Acepis. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Master of Arts degree in International Relations – University of Nairobi with a focus and interest in public policy analysis, gender and development. She has over five years’ experience in applied research, evaluations and public policy analysis. Her experience includes advising governments, non-state actors and multilateral development agencies; facilitating policy dialogue; coordinating and managing research projects as well as disseminating research findings. She is an experienced research analyst in applied research and project evaluations with a background in international relations and political science combined with intensive skills in public policy analysis, coordinating research, quality assurance and disseminating research findings.
Leonard Wanyama
Research Associate
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Leonard Wanyama

Research Associate
Leonard is a Research Associate at Acepis. He has over seven years’ experience in development work focusing on social and political economy issues in Eastern Africa. Leonard Wanyama is currently the regional coordinator of the East Africa Tax and Governance Network (EATGN) having consulted with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). Prior to this Leonard worked as a magazine columnist and writer for the Nairobi Law Monthly and Nairobi Business Monthly, respectively; and as a part time lecturer of international relations at Technical University of Kenya (TUK) and Riara University respectively. Mr. Wanyama was project officer at the Society for International Development (SID) for Eastern Africa, in Kenya. Wanyama is a recipient of a BA in social sciences, political science and economics from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in Nairobi; and a BA (Hons) plus Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Cosmas Butunyi
Strategic Communications
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Cosmas Butunyi

Strategic Communications
Cosmas is a Strategic Communications Associate at Acepis. He is an experienced communication professional with a demonstrated history of working in the public relations and media industry. He holds a Master of Arts in Communication Studies (Development Communication) from University of Nairobi; an Honours in Journalism and Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand. Cosmas is skilled in Writing, Journalism, Media Relations, Crisis Communications, and Corporate Communications. He also has vast experience in formulating and executing communications strategies for firms in different industries. He has also participated in communications campaigns to position and build visibility brands, profile executives and establish thought leadership, map and engage stakeholders, as well as issue and crisis response and management.
George Otieno Opiyo
Research Associate
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George Otieno Opiyo

Research Associate
George is a Research Associate at Acepis. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Honors) Degree with professional training in Economics and Applied Statistics. He is a seasoned social research consultant with over 10 years’ experience across Africa. In his consulting experience, George has researched and consulted extensively in the areas of governance, debt, taxation, human rights, justice, media, child protection, strategic communications, sexual and gender-based violence, women rights, land rights, education, health, waster, sanitation, agriculture, climate change, environment, urban development, security, peace, international relations and diplomacy among others. His focus in these areas has included an examination of policies, and institutional dynamics in relation to local and international level development, including that of Micro and Small Enterprises. These consultancies included commissioned research, evaluations, project development, write-ups and facilitation of processes leading to the same. He has a Strong Project Management, Market and Social Research experience on large international multi-mode quantitative and qualitative studies.
Roberto Mwashashu
Research & Capacity Development
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Roberto Mwashashu

Research & Capacity Development
Roberto is a Research & Capacity Development Associate at Acepis. He is a well versed professional in the fields of entrepreneurship, project management, partnership development, fundraising, communication and agribusiness. He has excellent demonstrable skills in communication, capacity development, information technology, writing and editing, proposal writing, business development and business advisory. His interests are in: Supporting MSEs to start-up and or expand; Establishing and managing partnerships; Entrepreneurship; Research; Data analytics; Social media management; Capacity development; Development communication; Monitoring & Evaluation; Agribusiness; Advancing Sustainable Development Goals.
Christabel Gero
Research Associate
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Christabel Gero

Research Associate
Christabel Gero is a Research Associate at Acepis. She holds a Master of Science degree in Population Studies from the University of Nairobi and a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Statistics with IT from Maseno University. She is an innovation fellow with the University of Nairobi Innovation Fellowship 2019/2020 cohort. Her research interests are in demography (fertility differentials) and its implications on global socio-economic development. She is passionate about gender equality and is a recipient of the UN Women Kenya research grant under the Women Count program of 2019. She brings to the team applied research, quantitative analysis and report writing skills.
Michael Gor
Research Associate
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Michael Gor

Research Associate
Michael is a Research Analyst Associate at Acepis. He holds an MSc. in Monitoring and Evaluation and a BSc. Statistics from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology with a focus on data analytics. He has over 5 years of work experience in Monitoring and Evaluation, Data Management, and Research. He has worked with organizations in across Africa, Europe and Asia in project implementation, research design, data collection, cleaning, analysis, and reporting, evaluations and impact assessment. He is skilled in strategic planning, conducting project evaluations, political economy analyses, quantitative and qualitative research designs, data exploration, visualization and analysis (R, Excel, Tableau), developing project proposals, and disseminating research findings.
Teresia Ogamba
Research Associate
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Teresia Ogamba

Research Associate
Teresia Ogamba is a Graduate Intern at Acepis. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biostatistics from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and certification in Mobile Software Development and Entrepreneurship from the eMobilis Mobile Technology Institute. She is a budding Data Scientist with deep interests in data analysis, visualization and machine learning and their application to contemporary social science research. She has a keen interest in positive youth development. She aims to exploit the Acepis internship programme to gain practical knowledge of and skills in public policy analysis, improve skills and capabilities in strategic communication, advance skills in applied research and meet and familiarise with players and stakeholders in international development
Seth Ouma
Research Associate
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Seth Ouma

Research Associate
Ouma is a Research Associate at Africa Centre for People, Institutions and Society (Acepsis). He has extensive research and consultancy experience and is well-published on themes around media, governance, political dynasties and democracy in Africa, the political economy of decentralized land management, and the youth in Kenyan politics. Ouma’s research and consultancy assignments have been with organizations spanning public policy, academia, civil society, international development and the Kenyan government; including The Policy Practise (Oxford), University of Oxford, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Nairobi, University of Edinburgh, Afrobarometer (East Africa), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Hanns Seidel Foundation, Windle Trust Kenya, the defunct Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC-Kenya), and National Crime Research Centre (Kenya). He holds an MSc in African Studies (core in African Politics) from the University of Oxford, a BA in Politics and Literature from the University of Nairobi, and currently writing his dissertation for an MA in Politics and Public Administration from the latter institution. Ouma also comments on topical issues, including Kenyan and International politics.
Clotilda Wanjala
Research Associate
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Clotilda Wanjala

Research Associate
Clotilda is a Graduate Intern at Acepis. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Sociology from Kenyatta University and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts Degree in Research and Public Policy at the University of Nairobi. Her career interests include project management, public policy analysis and research. She has experience in facilitating dialogues and multi-stakeholder forums around policy issues and brings to the team a wealth of knowledge of CSOs, thinktanks and academia in Africa. She aims to exploit the Acepis internship programme to gain practical knowledge of and skills in public policy analysis, improve skills and capabilities in strategic communication, advance skills in applied research and meet and familiarise with players and stakeholders in international development.
Janet Muchai
Research Analyst
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Janet Muchai

Research Analyst
Janet Muchai is a Research Analyst at Acepis. She holds a Bachelor of Business Science in Financial Economics from Strathmore University. She is passionate about research and public policy analysis. She is also an aspiring Data scientist. She possesses practical knowledge and skills in public policy analysis, strategic communication, applied research and engagement with key players and stakeholders in both local and international development arenas.
Emmanuel Owuor
Research Analyst
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Emmanuel Owuor

Research Analyst
Emmanuel is a Research Analyst at Acepis. He holds a Bachelor of Economics and Statistics degree from Kenyatta University. He is skilled in Research and Development with specialization in Experimental research. He is passionate about research and data analysis. Emmanuel has professional experience in applied research, policy analysis, program/project evaluation, strategic communication, proposal and report writing.
Christine Magoma
Communications Officer
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Christine Magoma

Communications Officer
Christine is the Communications Officer at Acepis. She is an International Relations and Security Studies graduate from Daystar University and is also a trained leader under the Young African Leaders Initiative Regional Leadership Centre East Africa (YALI RLC EA) programme. With a passion for empowering women and youth in Africa, Christine's primary focus revolves around this mission. Her expertise lies in digital content creation, and she keenly implements digital skills to enhance brand visibility for businesses and organizations. Excelling in running digital campaigns and implementing communication strategies for advocacy, Christine brings invaluable contributions to ACEPIS and the broader community. Her unwavering commitment and experience add to her remarkable impact in driving positive change in the regions she serves.
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