Contact Info
- Rosami Court, Muringa Road, Kilimani, Nairobi
- +254 (720) - 896 025
- landrite@pamojatrust.org
- Mon - Fri: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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🏛️ PASGR & Pamoja Trust Initiative
UTAFITI SERA
Evidence Driven Policy Communities — Embedding Social Safeguards into Policy and Practice Through Evidence-Informed Approaches.
Background & Origin
In May 2015, PASGR received a seed grant from the Dutch Knowledge Platform on Inclusive Development (INCLUDE) to conceptualize and design an innovative approach for using research to inform policy. PASGR organized a Research-Policy Actors Forum in September 2015 that examined the challenges of research-to-policy uptake; assessed knowledge needs of policy actors; and identified strategies to build dynamic research-policy communities.
The forum recognized that low research uptake can be resolved when researchers and policy actors work together, recognizing the interest, power, and motivations of multiple stakeholders through political negotiation, consensus-building, and multi-channel communication.
MAY 2015
Conceptualization & Seed Grant
Awarded by the Dutch Knowledge Platform (INCLUDE) to pioneer a novel evidence-to-policy mechanism.
SEPT 2015
Research-Policy Forum
Assessed policy knowledge needs, power dynamics, political negotiation, and media engagement.
2017 & BEYOND
The Eureka Moment
Coined "Utafiti Sera" (Swahili for Research Policy) & established the core Theory of Change platform for evidence uptake.
Our Approach & Interlinking Objectives
Our approach integrates rigorous research and evidence creation with active advocacy and influencing. Responsive to national, sectoral, and regional policy levels, Utafiti Sera sets the agenda for high-quality dialogues, supports policy design, reviews existing frameworks, and champions policy implementation.
01
Vibrant Communities
Establishing and sustaining active research-policy communities of practice bringing researchers, decision-makers, civil society, and urban poor advocates together.
02
Evidence Generation & Synthesis
Generating new empirical evidence, synthesizing existing knowledge, and packaging findings into actionable policy briefs, documentaries, infographics, and op-eds.
03
Direct Advocacy & Champions
Engaging key policy actors and decision-makers through direct roundtables, workshops, advocacy campaigns, and strategic policy champions.
A Flexible Dual-Route Model
⚡ SHORTER ROUTE
High Political Will & Buy-In
Where political will and effective buy-in exist for policy uptake, Utafiti Sera adopts a direct, rapid-response model to immediately feed research evidence into policy adoption and implementation.
🔄 LONGER ROUTE
Complex Contexts & Coalition Building
In contexts requiring preliminary groundwork, Utafiti Sera executes structured networking, additional research, advocacy planning, ownership facilitation, and champion mobilization.
Pathway to Impact: The Utafiti Sera "House" Concept
We use the concept of a "House" to represent a place, forum, vehicle, and process for shared knowledge and experiences to enhance research evidence uptake.
As a 'Process'
A sequence of structured activities enabling a community of interest and practice to co-produce knowledge and drive collective action.
As a 'Place'
A dedicated space for key stakeholders with interest, power, and capacity to make informed policy decisions and take action.
As a 'Forum'
A non-partisan platform for knowledge engagement, outreach, and in-reach across diverse theoretical and political perspectives.
As a 'Vehicle'
A transmission mechanism and motor for conveying shared evidence, consensus, and field lessons directly into policy design.
Schematics of Utafiti Sera
The schematic architecture below illustrates the interconnections between key stakeholders, evidence synthesis, packaging, communication channels, outcomes, and policy champions across both Short and Long routes.
SCHEMATICS OF UTAFITI SERA
UTAFITI SERA
1. Key Stakeholders:
- Research Organizations
- Think Tanks
- External Organizations
- Central and Local Government
- Media
- Policy Makers
- CBOs, NGOs and Interest Groups
2. Mapping & Synthesising Evidence
- New Research Evidence on policy problem
- Synthesis of existing research evidence
3. Packaging of Research Evidence
- Policy briefs
- Infographics
- Video documentary
- Newspaper articles
4. Communication Channels
- Policy Debate
- Meetings
- Forums
- Advocacy/Campaigns
- Social Media
5. Outcomes
- New Policies
- National debate
- Program Design
- Implementation changes
Policy Influencers / Champions
Figure: Official Utafiti Sera Schematic Diagram mapping stakeholder interaction, research synthesis, communication channels, and policy outcomes.
How Utafiti Sera Houses Work (7-Step Model)
Operationalizing a House involves a sequence of seven systematic steps from political economy analysis to policy champion mobilization and inter-house networking.
1
Mapping & Constituting the Utafiti Sera House
PASGR uses Political Economy Analysis (PEA) to synthesize existing knowledge on specific policy issues, identify knowledge and policy gaps, map actors (subject experts, decision-makers, civil society), and evaluate power dynamics to establish entry points.
2
Identify Host Institution
PASGR identifies a like-minded policy think tank, advocacy, or practicing organization (such as Pamoja Trust for Urban Governance) to host the program, infusing local context and leading house activities.
3
Commissioning Research & Translating Evidence
Once knowledge gaps are identified, the House commissions targeted studies to synthesize existing research and rapidly generate new evidence presented through roundtables and policy dialogues.
4
Organizing Policy Engagement Forums
Forums convene key actors to deliberate on evidence, build consensus, determine immediate policy action items, and establish short- and medium-term implementation objectives.
5
Packaging & Dissemination of Evidence
Both conventional and modern media are deployed — including video documentaries, policy alerts/briefs, newspaper op-eds, infographics, podcasts, and social media campaigns.
6
Mobilizing Policy Champions
Identifies and equips influential agents within or outside government with rigorous evidence, empowering them to champion policy adoption in legislative and administrative arenas.
7
Networking & Inter-House Conferences
Facilitates cross-house knowledge exchange and regional conferences to share lessons, refine methodologies, and build continental policy communities.
Utafiti Sera Publications & Resource Repository
Browse all Utafiti Sera research briefs, change stories, case studies, documentaries, podcasts, and policy manuals produced by Pamoja Trust & PASGR.
Resources
Browse our repository of papers, articles, briefs and research documents.
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