Prof. Hamadi Iddi Boga, is the Principal Secretary State Department for Crops Development and Agricultural Research. He was a Professor of Microbiology at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), was the Acting Vice Chancellor of Taita Taveta University since 7th October 2016. He has a BSc in Botany and Zoology (First Class Honors) and MSc in Botany (Microbiology) from Kenyatta University in Kenya, PhD in Microbial Ecology and Microbiology from University of Konstanz, Germany and a Post-Doctoral Research stay at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg, Germany. He is also a Humboldt Fellow and was from 2010-2015 the Humboldt Ambassador Scientist for Kenya. Boga has previously, held various administrative positions in JKUAT including Chairman of Botany Department (2002-2004), Director of Institute of Biotechnology Research (2005), Dean of Faculty of Science (2007) and Principal of JKUAT Taita Taveta Campus in Voi (2007 to 2012). From 2012-2016 he was the Principal of Taita Taveta University College. He has an extensive international and local network of scientific engagements and collaborations. He was a Board Member of the World Federation of Culture Collections (www.wfcc.org)(2010-2013). He was the Secretary of the African German Network of Excellence in Science (AGNES) (2013-2016), the Secretary (2002-2006) and later Chairman (2008-2010) of the Kenya German Scholars Association (KDSA). He is currently a board member of ICRAF and ICIPE. Boga has over 66 scientific publications in International Journals, has supervised over 14 PhD and 31 MSc students. He is an active researcher with active international collaborations. Has a strong track record of fundraising for research. He has wide experience in Management and strategic planning.

Amb. Johnson Weru is the Principal Secretary at the State Department for Trade and Enterprise Development, Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development. He is a career diplomat and public servant with over twenty-eight years’ experience working in Government and International Development Agencies in Africa and Europe. Prior to his appointment as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Mission to the European Union, Amb. Weru had a distinguished and long service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he served as Director for Economic Affairs and External Trade. He has held several senior positions in the public service including as Joint/Deputy Secretary for various public sector reform Task Forces among them Technical Committee on Governance Justice, Law and Order Sector Reforms, Legal Sector Reform Secretariat and Task force on Rationalization, Restructuring and Strengthening the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Amb. Weru has also served as adjunct Professor and Lecturer in Economics and Finance at Catholic University of East Africa and has served as alternate director to several State Boards. His recent assignments include participating in the negotiations leading to the coming into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement and the on-going ACP-EU post Cotonou agreement.

Rajan D Shah is the CEO of Capwell Group of companies which include Capwell Industries Ltd, one of the most diversified food processing enterprise in Kenya and Windsor Flowers Ltd which deals with floriculture. Rajan is a Board member of the KAM and was the past Chairman of the KAM Central Kenya Chapter and the KAM Devolution Committee. He is also a past Board member of the Cereal Millers Association. Currently he is the KAM Vice Chairman.Before founding the Capwell Group of companies, he worked as a Financial Analyst at Middle Africa Investments Limited in Nairobi. In 1994, he qualified as a Chartered accountant with Price Waterhouse UK. Rajan was the past Chairman and currently a trustee of the Shree Jain Youth League, which organizes the largest Eye and ENT Camp every year in Kenya. He was a past Chairman of Thika Round Table No. 19 and a member of the Local Tax Tribunal Committee. Rajan spearheaded the formation of a lobby group, Kenya Rice Task Force, which successfully managed to implement a protective import duty regime for rice farmers. He was actively involved in the revival of the Ahero, West Kano & Mwea Rice Irrigation Schemes.

Mr. Harry K. Kimtai, CBS is the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperation, State Department for Livestock. In his role as the Principal Secretary, he is responsible for the administration of the State Department for efficient and effective delivery of the public services that are lawfully assigned to the State Department. As a Principal Secretary he is charged with managing substantial amount of public resources both human and material that are earmarked by the Government for utilization in specified areas in the department of Livestock in a manner that is expected to maximize benefits to the people of Kenya.

Agatha Thuo is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET). She is self-driven Leader and Manager with extensive experience in Project management, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation with Technical expertise in agribusiness across agriculture value chains, with long standing experience in both Public and Private sector agriculture having worked, among other high profile roles, as County Executive Member, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries in Nyandarua County, providing leadership in strategy implementation in a vibrant political environment, and as a member of Joint Agriculture Sector Steering Committee (JASSCOM) and the Joint Agriculture Secretariat (JAS) in 2013 to 2017. Agatha has also participated in international lobbying for increased agriculture trade within the EU and has been a Coordinator for the Kenya Agriculture Productivity and Agribusiness Program.

Dr. John Olwande John Olwande is a research fellow at Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development, Egerton University in Kenya. He has over 10 years of experience in economic and policy research in agriculture and rural sector. He has worked with Tegemeo Institute in building household survey databases to monitor changes in the agricultural sector from household and national perspectives and provided analyses and insights to support formulation of policies and strategies in Kenya’s agriculture sector. John’s areas of research include agricultural technology adoption and sustainable intensification, food and nutrition security, integration of smallholder farmers into markets and impact evaluation of policy and development projects/programs.