Policy Oracle Kenya · Nairobi
We turn evidence into decisions, and decisions into results.
A Nairobi think tank and consultancy for national government, county governments, development partners and enterprise. We read Kenyan law, policy and budgets closely, and turn them into decisions that hold up.
On the Kenyan policy agenda
- Technology, Data and AIAI Bill would impose risk-tiered duties
- Climate Change and EnvironmentSustaining county climate action after FLLoCA
- Agriculture and Food SystemsFertiliser subsidy integrity and targeting
- Public Finance and RevenueMeeting the debt anchor without stalling services
- HealthSHA provider payments and NHIF legacy claims
Reviewed October 2026. Select an item for the sector's laws, institutions and pressures.
Flagship · Technology, Data and AI
AI and data governance for Kenyan institutions.
Kenya now has a national AI strategy, an active data protection regulator, a contested cybercrimes law and an AI bill before the Senate. Institutions that automate decisions or hold personal data face binding and tightening obligations. We help leaders govern technology with evidence, meet the law and prove that digital services work.
AI Readiness and Strategy
AI readiness assessments and adoption strategies for ministries, state agencies and counties, aligned to the Kenya Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025-2030 and Kenyan law.
See the serviceData Protection Compliance
Registration, impact assessments, data governance and breach readiness under the Data Protection Act, 2019 for public bodies, counties and regulated firms.
See the serviceAI and Model Risk Governance for Financial Institutions
Model risk and AI governance frameworks for banks, SACCOs, insurers and lenders, built to meet Central Bank of Kenya, SASRA and IRA expectations.
See the serviceAlgorithm and Vendor Audits
Independent audits of automated decision systems and the vendors behind them, testing legality, accuracy, fairness, security and contract terms.
See the serviceEvaluation of Digital Public Services
Independent evaluation and indicator verification of digital public services, from digital health systems to eCitizen-type platforms, measuring uptake, quality, inclusion and value.
See the serviceAI and Data Skills for Leaders
Practical AI and data training for senior officials, county executives and boards, grounded in Kenyan law, the national AI strategy and real decisions.
See the serviceSector consultancy
Nine sectors, read through Kenyan law and policy.
Every engagement starts from the rules that govern the sector: the Acts and regulations, the national and county plans, the institutions that hold the mandate and the pressures on them now.
Technology, Data and AI
Governance, compliance and evaluation for Kenyan institutions adopting AI, data and digital services under a fast-tightening legal regime.
- AI Readiness and Strategy
- Data Protection Compliance
- AI and Model Risk Governance for Financial Institutions
- Algorithm and Vendor Audits
- Evaluation of Digital Public Services
- AI and Data Skills for Leaders
Climate Change and Environment
Climate law, carbon markets, climate finance, energy transition, environmental management and disaster risk reduction across national and county government.
Read the sector 6 named servicesAgriculture and Food Systems
Policy, regulation and county delivery across Kenya's devolved agriculture sector, from value chains and input subsidies to climate risk and food security.
Read the sector 4 Kenyan engagementsDevolution and County Governance
Evidence and advice for national and county governments on functions, institutions, planning and participation under Kenya's devolved system.
Read the sector 5 Kenyan engagementsPublic Finance and Revenue
Revenue sharing, own-source revenue, budget execution, procurement and debt: the fiscal rules that decide what Kenya's two levels of government can deliver.
Read the sector 4 Kenyan engagementsHealth
Health financing, surveillance and digital health evidence for Kenya's reformed system under the Social Health Authority and devolved county services.
Read the sector 2 Kenyan engagementsWater, Sanitation and Hygiene
How Kenya regulates, finances and delivers water and sanitation services under the Water Act, 2016, and where county utilities fall short.
Read the sector 1 Kenyan engagementSocial Protection and Inclusion
Safety-net design, registry verification and inclusion frameworks under the Social Protection Act, 2025 and the National Safety Net Programme.
Read the sector 1 Kenyan engagementUrban Development and Housing
How Kenya governs urban growth and housing, from municipal charters and spatial plans to the Affordable Housing Act, 2024 and its levy.
Read the sectorClimate and agriculture
Named services for a changing climate and food system.
County climate action, carbon markets, climate finance and disclosure; value chains, subsidies, climate-smart farming and food security. Each service has a defined scope, method and set of deliverables.
Climate Change and Environment
Climate law, carbon markets, climate finance, energy transition, environmental management and disaster risk reduction across national and county government.
Agriculture and Food Systems
Policy, regulation and county delivery across Kenya's devolved agriculture sector, from value chains and input subsidies to climate risk and food security.
Our approach
From the real problem to a result that lasts.
We follow a disciplined, evidence-led method that carries clients from the underlying problem to a result they can sustain. Every engagement is tailored to context, but the logic stays consistent, and each stage produces an output the client can use in its own right.
- 01
Understand
We begin with the real problem, not the presenting symptom. We map stakeholders, incentives, context and constraints, and agree with the client on the exact decision the work must serve.
- 02
Evidence
We collect and analyse robust qualitative and quantitative data, from surveys and independent field verification to administrative data, economic modelling and structured evidence review, and we document everything so the analysis can be scrutinised.
- 03
Design
We craft practical, human-centred solutions and translate them into clear policy, strategy or programme design. Priorities are mapped, trade-offs are explicit and options are costed, so decision-makers choose with their eyes open.
- 04
Deliver
We support implementation with actionable roadmaps, institutional arrangements, capacity building and knowledge systems, so the client can carry the work forward without permanent dependence on us.
- 05
Evaluate
We assess impact before and after, measure what works and what does not, and feed the learning back into better decisions. Evaluation is a source of improvement, not a compliance exercise.
Methods and tools
- Stakeholder and political-economy analysis
- Qualitative and quantitative research
- Survey and sampling design
- Independent field verification and record audits
- Remote sensing and GIS
- Econometric and statistical modelling
- Difference-in-differences and impact evaluation
- Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis
- Public expenditure and fiscal analysis
- Theory of change and results frameworks
- Data analytics and visualisation
Track record
Delivered for Kenyan institutions that answer to the public.
Engagements for national government, county governments and international development partners since 2021.
| Year | Client | Engagement | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | PATH International | Digital Health Pilot Indicator Verification, Maternal Care | Digital Health M&E |
| 2025 | WaterAid | Urban WASH Indicator Verification and Service Monitoring | WASH M&E |
| 2025 | National Syndemic Diseases Control Council | Economic Analysis of Devolved Health Financing and Service Delivery | Health Financing |
| 2024 | National Syndemic Diseases Control Council | Syndemic Surveillance and Indicator Verification Framework | Health Surveillance |
| 2024 | Consortium of County Governments | County Service Efficiency and Cost-Benefit Analysis | Public Finance / CBA |
| 2023 | Dorcas Aid International | Community Resilience M&E and Indicator Verification | Resilience M&E |
See all twelve engagements and case highlights
Cancer Screening Programme Economic and Business Case
We built the economic and business case for the national cancer screening programme. We measured screening coverage across the target population, the referral of positive results to diagnostic services, and the share of referred patients who start treatment within 30 days.
Read the case Devolution economics · Ministry of Devolution and ASALs · 2023National Economic Analysis of Devolution Outcomes
We analysed the socio-economic effect of devolution, comparing counties with targeted interventions against comparison counties. We tracked the share of counties adopting recommended fiscal management reforms and modelled the fiscal gap closed.
Read the caseTraining and executive learning
Capability that stays with the institution.
Our 64 courses are grounded in the same evidence base as our consulting and delivered onsite or virtually in Kenya, alongside 1,990+ professional certifications with GLI.
Why Policy Oracle
When the evidence has to hold up.
Independence, analytical depth and close knowledge of how Kenyan institutions work.
- A proven track recordDelivered for national government, county governments and international development partners since 2021.
- Independent and credibleTrusted for third-party verification because our evidence is defensible and our advice is honest.
- Kenyan insight, global standardsClose knowledge of Kenyan law, institutions, counties and politics, held to international benchmarks of method and quality.
- End to endResearch, design, delivery and evaluation, without handing clients between disconnected specialists.
- A multidisciplinary benchPolicy, economics, data science, monitoring and evaluation, sector expertise and communications under one roof.
- Ahead on AI governanceA dedicated flagship practice for the question now facing every institution.
- Capability that staysWe build our clients' skills so the value outlasts the engagement.
- Flexible deliveryOnsite across Kenya and virtually, by project or on retainer.
From the blog
Analysis and commentary.
Short, evidence-led reading on the policy questions in front of Kenyan institutions. Visit the blog