Masini Ichwara is a highly accomplished Economist, Statistician, and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) expert with over 30 years of distinguished experience in economic planning, public policy, programme management, impact evaluation, and national statistics systems across government and international development institutions. He currently serves as Director General, Economic Planning at the State Department for Economic Planning under Kenya’s National Treasury.
Holding a PhD in Economics from the University of Nairobi, Dr. Ichwara possesses extensive expertise in economic policy analysis, gender mainstreaming, poverty and human capital development, public expenditure tracking, survey design, and quantitative and qualitative research. He has successfully led and contributed to major national and international surveys and evaluations. He has also contributed significantly to academic research and policy publications in areas such as gender inequality, poverty reduction, cash transfer impacts, and economic development.
Throughout his career, he has held senior leadership and advisory positions within the Government of Kenya, United Nations Development Programme, and regional development initiatives, providing strategic guidance on economic planning, results-based management, monitoring systems, and institutional capacity development. His work has supported ministries, county governments, UN agencies, and development partners in strengthening governance, policy implementation, and development effectiveness.
Dr. Ichwara combines strategic leadership, technical excellence, and extensive field experience with a deep commitment to evidence-driven policymaking, sustainable development, and transformative public sector reform across Kenya and the broader East African region.