Kenya

As both a global research institute and a leading international development organization, RTI combines our project implementation and technical expertise with those of our partners to co-create smart, shared solutions for a more prosperous, equitable, and resilient world.

For 40 years, we have collaborated with clients and partners in Kenya to advance sustainable, multi-sectoral solutions for the most difficult development challenges. In all that we do, we strive for transformative change built on equity and inclusion.

Our experience and recent project implementation include:

Education in Kenya

• More than a decade working in partnership with the Kenyan Ministry of Education
• Lead implementer of the Tusome Early Grade Reading Activity which supported the Government of Kenya to improve the reading skills of 10 million students in public primary schools through carefully designed learning materials, proven teaching methodologies, and a tablet-based feedback and monitoring system (learn more about Tangerine).
• Partnering with the Center for Global Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand the collective knowledge about successful large-scale education programs.
• Evaluating the impact of five large-scale interventions increasing play-based activities in low- and middle-income countries, including Kenya, through the Play Accelerator research program.
• Increased measurement and implementation of school readiness programming for pre-primary children, including sufficient cognitive, physical, social, and emotional wellbeing through the Tayari Early Childhood Development Program.

Energy in Kenya

• The Power Africa Empowering East and Central Africa project is helping countries develop their ​​renewable energy sources and scale on- and off-grid energy solutions to fuel inclusive, low-carbon economic growth.  It is expected to provide 50 million people access to new or improved electricity generated from cleaner fuel sources. 
• The Power Africa Off-Grid Program is increasing energy access for over 4.5 million households in 26 African countries, facilitating the sale of over 69,000 productive use of energy systems and electrification of 230 health facilities, and working with over 600 off-grid energy companies to improve operations through market-based strategies.
• The East Africa Energy Program is connecting over 4 million new customers to the electric grid in 10 East African countries, including Ethiopia; supporting the commissioning of 500 megawatts (MW) of added power capacity; and mobilizing over $875 million in investments in the East African power sector.
• Improved human resources policies and practices for seven electric utilities in five countries to increase gender equity through the Engendering Utilities program. The project also undertook a first-of-its-kind study to examine the role of women and gender disparities within electric power distribution companies.

WASH in Kenya

• Creating a financially sustainable, transformative, replicable, and locally owned sanitation marketplace through the USAID-funded Western Kenya Sanitation Project.
• Partnered with the World Bank and Aurecon AMEI Limited to support Kenya’s Water Resource Agency (WRA) to strengthen water resources management and planning.
• Conducted a research study to understand the extent to which regional infrastructure (water, transportation, renewable energy) can support green growth in East Africa, in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers, with funding from the government of the United Kingdom.

Food Security and Agriculture in Kenya

• Working to strengthen market systems to increase the productivity and market potential of Kenya’s farms under the Feed the Future Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems Activity. To date, over 160,000 participants have benefited from interventions and collaborating farms and firms have achieved $43 million in total sales.
• Conducting research to reduce persistent acute malnutrition in Kenya’s Samburu and Turkana counties with partner Mercy Corps, under the USAID Nutrition in the ASALs Within Integrated Resilient Institutions (Nawiri) program.
• Conducted a field survey and analysis to better understand the barriers and motivations of rural Kenyan youth to embrace rural agricultural or pastoral livelihood activities when others seek to leave agricultural/pastoral livelihoods.

Governance and Economic Development in Kenya

• Fostered partnerships between Kenyan youth, local industries, and government to enhance employment opportunities for youth through the USAID Kenya Youth Employment and Skills program.
• Studied the economic impacts from subsea cables to understand how they changed the economy.

Health in Kenya

• Leader in health systems strengthening and part of a consortium on the USAID Health Policy+ program, working to improve the enabling environment for sustainable health services with an emphasis on family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH), maternal and child health (MCH), and HIV and AIDS.
• Serve as the data collection and analysis center for the Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research. The Network supports and conducts clinical trials in resource-limited countries, including Kenya, to improve maternal and child health and build local research capacity and infrastructure.
• Providing multidisciplinary, sustainable solutions to address the global burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). In Kenya, we worked with the Ministry of Health and the NCD Alliance Kenya to raise awareness and empower country-led strategies to combat NCDs.
• Data coordinating center for a study to determine if administration of single-dose intravenous (IV) infusion is a more effective means of reducing anemia than standard of care oral iron in postpartum women.