Do think tanks benefit from APRM work? Kenya’s experience

The document details the participation of the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) as a Lead Technical Agency (LTA) in Kenya's African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process, specifically focusing on the socio-economic development section. While the authors acknowledge the national importance of the work, they highlight significant operational failures, including confused roles between the APRM Secretariat and LTAs, bureaucratic delays caused by the National Governing Council (NGC), and financial disputes where the Secretariat failed to pay full budgeted amounts. The paper concludes that while think tanks can contribute valuable expertise to such continental initiatives, the process in Kenya was marred by poor coordination, a lack of professional recognition for researchers, and a disregard for contractual obligations.

• The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in Kenya involved four Lead Technical Agencies (LTAs) responsible for technical assessments in democracy and political governance, economic governance and management, corporate governance, and socio-economic development.
• The Institute for Development Studies (IDS) faced significant operational disruptions due to the National Governing Council (NGC), which was plagued by internal disputes among NGOs and required pre-approval for all LTA actions, leading to a compressed timeline for the final Country Self-Assessment Report.
• There was a significant confusion of roles where the APRM Secretariat usurped technical responsibilities belonging to the LTAs, such as coordinating fieldwork and selecting research assistants, despite its intended role being limited to logistical support.
• The APRM Secretariat failed to honor financial agreements with the LTAs, paying only 85% of the first and second installments and refusing to pay the final installment in full, forcing the IDS to finance the shortfall.
• The process resulted in a loss of academic recognition for the research institutes, as neither the Country Self-Assessment Report (CSAR) nor the review reports acknowledged the contributions of the LTAs.
• Political instability and leadership changes within the Ministry of Planning and National Development undermined the initial commitment to researcher independence, with new officials viewing critical research findings as attempts to discredit the government.

APA

Atieno, R., Jama, M., & Onjala, J. (2008). Do think tanks benefit from APRM work? Kenya’s experience. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/Occasional-Paper-16.pdf

Chicago

Atieno, Rosemary, Mohamud Jama, and Joseph Onjala. Do think tanks benefit from APRM work? Kenya’s experience. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2008. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/Occasional-Paper-16.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Atieno |first1=Rosemary |last2=Jama |first2=Mohamud |last3=Onjala |first3=Joseph |title=Do think tanks benefit from APRM work? Kenya’s experience |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/Occasional-Paper-16.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{atieno2008think, author = {Atieno, Rosemary and Jama, Mohamud and Onjala, Joseph}, title = {{Do think tanks benefit from APRM work? Kenya’s experience}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/Occasional-Paper-16.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }