January - June 2008 - Kenya Agricultural Research Institute

Director KARI Meets Senior Staff
By George Karanja, KARI Headquarters
The Director held meetings with senior staff of the
Institute noting that a new year is often looked
upon with enthusiasm and renewed hope. It offers
us an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the
previous year and chart the way forward for the new year.
In the meetings, he regretted the New Year, started with
post-election violence that continued way into February.
The period experienced loss of life and mass destruction
of public and private property. KARI was not spared either.
Indeed, KARI centres in Muguga, the Rift Valley and
Western Kenya were affected to varying degrees. The
remarks made by the Director to the Senior Management
Staff on April 7 and to the Senior Staff (including Centre
Directors and Officers-in- charge of Sub-centres) on April
10-11, 2008 were therefore very re-assuring and could not
have come at a better time.
The Senior Management meeting was attended
primarily by the Deputy Directors, Assistant Directors,
Chiefs of Divisions, Programme Coordinators and
Programme Officers based at KARI HQ, while the Senior
Staff meeting included the Centre Directors and Officers
in charge of Sub-centres, as well. Coming within two days
of each other, the Director’s new year message was firm
and clear – we must internalize “DR GRAC” principle,
that is:
• Articulate Desired Results
• Stick to Guidelines required to attain results
• Specify Resources required
• Ensure Accountability
• Focus on Consequences (Impact)concerted efforts
towards achieving institutional targets, within the quarter,
in spite of the relatively volatile political and social
environment. He cited returns in performance-based
annual evaluation, revision of the KARI Strategic Plan,
development of the 4 th Medium Term Plan, KARI Scheme
of Service, Terms and Conditions of Service,
implementation of KARI Pension Scheme, establishment
of various management-oriented committees, planning and
Dr Mukisira flanked by his deputies sets the ball rolling
Some senior KARI Managers follow the proceedings
budgeting, increased partnership portfolio, formation of
the Small Grants Committee, publication of a special KARI
Highlighter covering July-December 2007 period and the
launching of the KARI InFocus magazine to facilitate
information sharing.
In spite of these achievements, however, the Director cited
some areas that needed improvement. They included:
• Response to requests – there was need to embrace an
“Action today attitude”. Embrace the now embraced Rapid
Results Initiative
• Timeliness in reporting and leaving duty, and zero
tolerance to idleness and pep talk
• Coordination of programme planning, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation and reporting
• Regularity of Departmental meetings – preferably at the
beginning and end of every quarter
• Quality work – there was need to embrace quality and
excellence at all levels and in all disciplines, particularly in
documentation.
On the way forward, the Director emphasized the need
for financial sustainability through resource mobilization
and commercialization of research products. Noting the
need for a partnership strategy, he encouraged staff to go
for win-win partnerships. On the balance of strategic visa-vis
adaptive research, he suggested that the MTP
taskforce should hold more consultations on the same
and provide a clear guideline on the same. He further said
that the Management is considering some options on this
balance and will provide guidance on the same at the
finalization of the fourth Medium Term Plan. He emphasized
that new areas of research such as climatic change, biofuel
and ecosystem health, among others should be embraced
since a lot was expected from KARI.
The meetings were a refreshing morale booster.
Members undertook to participate in peace initiatives and
social responsibilities in an effort to make KARI more
visible and valued by the local communities.
Highlighter No. 23
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