Knowledge Management Team Retreats to chart the Security of KEMRI’s Institutional Memory

The Resource Development and Knowledge Management Department convened for a two-day knowledge retention workshop aimed at strengthening the Institute’s ability to safeguard critical knowledge in the face of rising attrition and staff mobility. Running from 11th to 12th June, 2025, in Nairobi, the event brought together scientists, Human Resource representatives, Information and Communication technologists, and knowledge champions from across the organization to reflect on current practices, identify gaps, and co-create sustainable approaches to retaining and sharing knowledge. It highlighted the need to move beyond informal handovers and embrace more structured methods such as mentorship, documentation, succession planning and digital knowledge repositories.

In her opening remarks, the Ag. Deputy Director for Resource Development and Knowledge Management, Ms. Lilian Mayieka emphasized the urgency of institutionalizing knowledge retention practices across the organization.

“We operate in a dynamic environment where natural attrition, retirements, and career transitions are inevitable. The question we must ask ourselves is: how safe is KEMRI’s institutional knowledge?” She posed to the participants.

Ms. Mayieka highlighted that as a research institution, KEMRI’s greatest asset is its knowledge generated through decades of scientific inquiry, partnerships, and innovation. However, without deliberate systems to capture and transfer this knowledge, the Institute risks losing critical insights and expertise when individuals exit.

On his part, the Deputy Director, Human Resource, Mr. Ben Sifuna, while delivering a presentation on the pivotal role the HR office plays in driving knowledge retention, noted that knowledge loss is not just a knowledge management issue, but a people management issue as well. Mr. Sifuna encouraged KEMRI staff to practise sharing knowledge, warning of detrimental consequences that befall individuals and organizations with lax attitude to knowledge sharing.

The HR department, the department’s head pointed out, acts as the knowledge steward, and plays a central role through succession planning, institutional onboarding processes, exit interviews, performance management frameworks, and staff development programs, all of which are key touchpoints for capturing, transferring, and embedding knowledge.

He also highlighted the importance of collaboration between HR and Knowledge Management units to institutionalize these practices and ensure that knowledge retention is systematically integrated into the employee lifecycle. “HR should be part and parcel of the entire knowledge management system and should take a centre and proactive role in ensuring knowledge creation and sharing within the organization”, He stated.

In a captivating presentation on the status of knowledge management at the Institute, Mr. James Kariuki painted a picture of a resilient journey, beginning in the rosy times of 1998 marked with abundance of funding and scholarships, through technological and market positioning challenges, to the localized generation of knowledge products achieved by benchmarking pioneering knowledge management organs in the region and rapid reviews of existing literature to better package the products for the local market.

Mr Kariuki, concerned about the loss of critical knowledge through subject matter experts’ retirement and improper knowledge management, stressed the need to rebrand, take care of technology and give knowledge management the attention it deserves.

 The workshop was facilitated by seasoned knowledge management expert and the Head of Knowledge Management at the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC), Mr. John Maganga. With years of experience in building organizational memory systems in the public sector, Mr. Maganga guided participants through practical strategies, tools, and frameworks that can be adapted to KEMRI’s research and administrative environment.

Mr. Maganga spoke categorically against silo mentality and static repositories, reiterating the need for crossdepartmental collaborations in the development of structured processes that ensure preservation of tacit, critical knowledge and continuity of core business operations. As guidance, he shared the knowledge retention, transfer and implementation tools as the elaborate maps that guide in the identification of critical knowledge, knowledge risks, retention strategies and transfer methods.

To the HR, he advised the department to embed and enforce these tools in its policy for the purpose of improved interaction rates and optimized knowledge retention efforts. The department, keen to encourage knowledge sharing and nurture a knowledge-centric culture, revealed that a staff recognition policy to incentivize knowledge sharing was in the process of approval. And as a commitment to fighting silo mentality, the HR office through its Deputy Director invited the input of other departments with the aim of strengthening HR tools on knowledge retention process.

There was also a call to the Knowledge Management team to sensitize KEMRI staff on its existence and role to build understanding and encourage cooperation.

Considering the dynamics of work environment, the workshop messages were clear: knowledge retention is not a one-time exercise, but a shared responsibility, and a culture, that must be embedded in how we work, lead, and sustain excellence at KEMRI.