Overview
The quality of leadership hired into a government agency or parastatal determines how that institution performs for years. ACAL has placed CEOs, Director Generals, and senior leadership teams across Kenya's public sector since 2010, applying the same analytical rigour and institutional knowledge to human capital selection that we bring to programme design and independent verification. Our recruitment practice spans two mandates: executive search for senior and C-suite roles, and volume recruitment for programme coordination units and large-scale incubatee selection.
What We Deliver
ACAL's recruitment methodology is built around one principle: the right appointment should be defensible on evidence, not justified by administrative process. Every mandate begins with a precise competency profile for the role, not a recycled job description. Candidates are assessed against criteria that reflect the specific institutional context they will enter, the political economy of the organisation, the expectations of the board or ministry, and the technical demands of the mandate. For volume recruitment, we design digital application infrastructure, aptitude and psychometric assessment tools, and multi-centre interview frameworks capable of operating at national scale.
Key Focus Areas
Executive search for CEO, Directors, and Managers in public sector institutions
Board and senior leadership team recruitment
Programme coordination unit staffing
National-scale incubatee and beneficiary selection with psychometric and aptitude assessment
Financial sector regulatory compliance and reform support
"ACAL managed the most rigorous recruitment process we had seen for a senior public sector appointment. The competency framework they designed was specific to the demands of the role and the institution, not a generic template. The shortlist gave the Board genuine choices between candidates who were all genuinely capable — which is exactly what a high-stakes appointment requires."
Government of Kenya Parastatal
Government of Kenya Parastatal
Executive and Senior Leadership Search
ACAL has recruited for the most consequential appointments in Kenya's public sector. Our executive search clients include KENHA, KIPPRA, KEFRI, AWWDA, the Competition Authority of Kenya, the National Irrigation Authority, and the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, among others. Roles placed range from Director General and CEO to General Manager and Deputy Director across transport, agriculture, water, finance, research, housing, and regulatory sectors. We combine structured competency assessment with Kenya-specific institutional knowledge to produce shortlists that reflect genuine merit, and recommendations that boards and oversight bodies can stand behind.
Track record Table
Client | Position(s) Recruited | Year |
|---|---|---|
Affordable Housing Board (AHB) | CEO, Corporation Secretary and GM Legal Services, GM Fund Services, GM Project Development (Architect), GM Corporate Services, GM Internal Audit, and 35+ Manager to Officer-grade positions | 2026 |
Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) | Director/Chief Executive Officer | 2025 |
Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) | Director/Chief Executive Officer | 2024 |
Athi Water Works Development Agency (AWWDA) | CEO | 2024 |
Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (NaMATA) | Director General, Director Commuter Rail, Director Corporate Services, Deputy Director Communications, Deputy Director Supply Chain Management, Deputy Director Finance and Accounts, Deputy Director Internal Audit, Deputy Director Environment and Safety | 2023-2024 |
Competition Authority of Kenya | CEO | 2023 |
National Irrigation Authority (NIA) | CEO, General manager | 2017 to 2023 |
Kenya Biovax Institute | GM Regulatory Affairs Quality and Safety, GM Commercial Services, GM Production (Vaccines and Biologicals), Manager HR and Administration, Manager Security and ICT, Manager Engineering Services, Manager Sales and Marketing | 2023 |
Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC) | Multiple Manager and Assistant Manager positions (Framework Contract) | 20121 to 2022 |
Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA) | Director General | 2021 |
Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KERRA) | Director General | 2018 |
Pest Control Products Board | CEO | 2015 |
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) | Chief Executive Officer | 2015 |
Thika Water and Sewerage Company | Managing Director | 2015 |
Mount Kenya University | Directors, Research and Development, Quality Assurance | 2015 |
Volume and Programme Recruitment
When a programme or institution needs to fill a large number of positions simultaneously, the process demands infrastructure and methodology that most organisations do not build in-house. ACAL has managed recruitment processes at every scale: 7-person programme coordination units for IFAD-funded programmes, 16-position management teams for the Youth Enterprise Development Fund, 46-position full institutional staffing mandates for the Affordable Housing Board, and 2,080 national incubatee selections for the ENABLE Youth Kenya Programme across 8 regions. We design and deploy bespoke digital application portals, aptitude and psychometric testing frameworks, and multi-centre regional interview structures — producing selection processes that are transparent, equitable, and fully documented.
Track Record Table
Cleint | Assignment | Scale | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation (ENABLE Youth Kenya — AfDB/GoK) | National incubatee recruitment across 8 YABICs and 8 regions — bespoke digital application portal, psychometric and aptitude assessment, regional interviews at 8 centres | 2,080 incubatees over a 4-year cycle | 2020 to present |
Affordable Housing Board (AHB) | Full institutional staffing across all departments from Manager to Office Assistant grade | 46+ positions | 2025 to present |
Youth Enterprise Development Fund | Managers and officer-level positions across fund operations including Fund Managers (Lending, Audit, Procurement, M&E), Fund Accountant, and 11 Officer positions | 16 positions | 2010 |
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation (ABDP — IFAD funded) | Full Programme Coordination Unit — Programme Coordinator, Aquaculture Specialists, Financial Controller, Knowledge Management, M&E Officer, Accountant, Procurement Specialist | 7 positions | 2018 |
Get Started Today
Let’s build something great together.
Average response rate 1 hour
Proven track of results
Dedicated and honest team
Change the Game
40+ major programmes delivered
100% project completion rate
GCF accredited · One of 54 worldwide
