The document provides a professional profile and employment history of Henry Oketch, a senior consultant with over 24 years of experience in inclusive finance and small enterprise development in Africa. It details his educational background and roles providing advisory services, research, and technical assistance to organizations supporting financial inclusion. The profile highlights his extensive experience developing strategies and programs to promote access to financial services for low-income households and small businesses across Africa.

1. HENRY OKETCH
Likoni Lane, off Dennis Pritt Road
P.O. Box 51705 - 00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Email address henry.oketch@yahoo.com
Phone +254.770.696.325
Professional Profile
Henry is a senior consultant in inclusive finance and small enterprise development with 24
years’ work and regional consulting experience in the field. He is currently working for the
Maarifa Consultants Ltd, an advisory services company that also provides research and
training to financial institutions targeting low-income households and small enterprises in
Africa. Previously he worked for the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) as
Chief Technical Adviser in Malawi, in which positioning he advised and provided technical
support to the Government of Malawi on national financial inclusion strategy and national
strategy for financial education.
Earlier in his career, he worked for the Kenya Rural Enterprise Programme (K-REP) for
twelve years and was part of the team that built the NGO into the first fully-fledged
microfinance bank in Africa. While at K-REP, he held progressively senior management
positions, rising up from the Head of Research & Consultancy Department in 1994 to Head
of Research & Innovations Division in 1997, and General Manager, K-REP Advisory
Services Ltd, a subsidiary regional consulting firm specializing in supporting the
development of inclusive finance in Africa.
Employment History
Founder/Senior Consultant, Maarifa Consultants Ltd, (January 2011- Present)
Founded on 1st July 2001, the Maarifa Consultants Limited provides training, research and
advisory services to financial services providers and organizations supporting the
development of inclusive finance and small enterprise development in Africa.
 Providing vision and direction for the firm.
 Managing operations of the firm on a day-today basis.
 Developing technical and financial proposals in competition for tendered consultancy
opportunities.
 Undertaking specific assignments as an expert in the inclusive finance and small
enterprise development, for instance, the setup of the first cross-border subsidiary of
Tanzania’s CRDB Bank Group Plc in Burundi in 2012; the setup of Microfinance
Financial Services Company Ltd (MFSCL), another subsidiary of CRDB Bank Group
Plc in Tanzania in 2004; and carrying out due diligence of Trust Union Bank in Sierra
Leone for AfriCap Microfinance Investment Company in 2005; and formulating rural
finance and small enterprise development strategy for Rural Livelihoods
Development Company (RLDC) in Tanzania in 2006, etc.
 Identifying, supervising and supporting other specialists in performing specific
assignments in their field of practice.
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2.  Forging strategic partnerships with associate consultants and relevant professional networks
in the two fields of inclusive finance and small enterprise development
 Promoting the services and operations of the firm
 And maintaining excellent relationships with the public and client organizations.
Chief Technical Advisor, Inclusive Finance, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), (1
December 2008- 31 December 2010)
The UNCDF is the United Nations agency with the mandate to create opportunities for poor
people and small businesses in 23 of the 48 least developed countries in the world by
increasing access to financial services and investment capital.
Specific duties included:
 Providing technical leadership and managing the overall activities of the USD 6.2
million multi-donor funded partnership program on a day-to-day basis.
 Ensuring that the project produces the results (outputs) specified in the project
document and proper use of resources to the required standard of quality and within
the specified constraint of time and cost.
 The primary responsibility for managing resources and first authority for all
transactions.
 Providing programme management for FIMA and supporting the regional UNCDF
unit management;
 Providing policy advice, strategic leadership, and technical support for the effective
and innovative strategies for the implementation of the programme, to improve the
national strategy and to guide UNDP and UNCDF;
 Applied business development strategy in developing partnerships with the national
counterparts and other development partners including DfID, AfDB, USAID, and the
World Bank;
 Providing support and inputs that contribute to improved portfolio management and
planning at national and regional level and contributing to the incorporation of
lessons learned from financial inclusion experience in the country;
 Initiating and supporting discussions with donors at the field level and liaising with the
regional office unit based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and HQs in mobilizing
additional funding / new partnership development by attracting other donors to join
the Investment Committee or to coordinate with the Investment Committee decisions;
 Providing substantive inputs into Regional Unit Work Plan and UNCDF Business
Plan.
General Manager, K-Rep Advisory Services Ltd, (1 July 1998 – 30 June 2001)
The Kenya Rural Enterprise Program (K-REP) is a leading private small enterprise
development company founded by USAID in April 1984. Within a decade of establishment, it
had evolved into prominent group of companies, including the first NGO microfinance
institution in Africa to transform into a regulated commercial bank specializing in
microfinance.
Specific responsibilities included:
 Being member of the group’s Executive Management team and hence contributing to
defining the overall strategic direction for the company.
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3.  Providing policy advice, strategic leadership, and technical support for the effective
and innovative delivery of advisory services, research, and training to client financial
institutions targeting the poor and low-income households.
 Providing overall strategic leadership in the planning, management and
implementation of the subsidiary company.
 Undertaking client assignments in area of specialization, e.g., market research and
product development, strategy and business development, developing and delivering
training, and conducting due diligence/ appraisal and evaluation of financial
institutions or activities targeting the poor and low-income households.
 Developed bids for international tenders for contracts in microfinance and SME
Development in the Africa region.
 Negotiating, coordinating, and supervising other consultants during the
implementation of major contracts.
 Leading and managing the growth of the division into a reputable and profitable
regional advisory services firm with clients throughout the African region, including
UNDP, The World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), and European Union,
etc.
Head Of Research & Consultancy Department, K-Rep, (1 July 1994 – 30 June 1998)
Prior to transforming into the first fully-fledged microfinance bank in Africa and group of
companies in 1997, K-REP had evolved from a local NGO involved in the provision of credit
and small enterprise development initially founded by USAID in April 1984.
Specific responsibilities included:
 Providing policy advice, strategic leadership, and technical support for the effective
and innovative delivery of advisory services, research, and training to client financial
institutions targeting the poor and low-income households.
 Providing overall strategic leadership in the planning, management and
implementation of the subsidiary company.
 Undertaking client assignments in area of specialization, e.g., market research and
product development, strategy and business development, developing and delivering
training, and conducting due diligence/ appraisal and evaluation of financial
institutions or activities targeting the poor and low-income households.
 Developed bids for international tenders for contracts in microfinance and SME
Development in the Africa region.
 Negotiated, coordinated, and supervised other consultants during the implementation
of major contracts.
 Headed the growth of the division into a reputable and profitable advisory firm with
clients throughout the African region.
 Was a member of K-REP Holdings’ Executive Management Committee and hence
contributed to defining the overall strategic direction for the company.
Senior Research & Evaluation Officer, K-Rep, (3 December 1990 – 30 June 1994)
The Kenya Rural Enterprise Programme (K-REP) was established in 1984 by USAID as an
NGO to promote and support the development of small enterprises in rural and peri-urban
areas with the aim of creating jobs and improving incomes.
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4. Specific responsibilities included:
 Being member consultant and local counterpart to the Kenyan project office of the
five-year USAID funded Growth and Equity through Microenterprise Investments and
Institutions (GEMINI) research project. The GEMINI project (1989-1995) carried out
more than 100 applied research, design, and implementation activities in 60
countries, including 5 long-term projects.
 Co-designing and supervising three national censuses of micro- and small-scale
enterprises in Kenya in 1991, 1993, and 1999.
 Conducting several studies, including four in-depth micro- and small-scale
enterprises sub-sector studies and two bore assessment of the carpentry and shoe-
making sub-sectors.
 Analyzing and publishing the results of studies done under GEMINI and making
presentations to the government and other industry stake holders.
 Organizing regular monthly seminars on access to finance and business
development services for the Kenyan micro- and small-scale enterprises sector.
 Undertaking relevant studies commissioned by third parties, for instance an impact
study commissioned by Ernst & Young on the contribution of microfinance to jobs
creation, improving incomes, and promoting savings mobilization and thrift among
the poor in Kenya in 1991; and another as team member of the first globally
coordinated effort to measure the impact of microcredit commissioned by USAID and
led by Management Systems International (MSI) in 1998.
Education
 Master of Arts, Economics, University of Nairobi (September 1988 – July 1990)
 Bachelor of Education, Economics and Business Studies, Kenyatta University
(September 1983– July 1986)
Additional Skills
 Twenty three years of consulting experience in inclusive finance and small
enterprise development (see Appendix A for details).
 Specific country experience in three continents: Asia: Bangladesh; Africa: Ethiopia,
Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Italy, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South
Sudan, Senegal, The Gambia, Nigeria, Swaziland, South Africa, Zambia, Burundi,
Rwanda, Mozambique, Benin, and Cote d’Ivoire; and Europe: United Kingdom and
Italy.
 Awarded $120,000 innovation grant by USAID in August 1998 (under the MIP)
project to develop relevant delinquency course for microfinance institutions in
Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
 Awarded a certificate in facilitating the development of curriculum and materials for a
postgraduate diploma course on microfinance jointly supported by Swisscontact East
Africa and Makerere University, Uganda, in 2004
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5.  Holds a postgraduate Certificate in Appraisal, Monitoring, and Evaluation of Small-
Enterprise Development projects, Durham University Business School, Durham,
United Kingdom, 20 February /18 March 1994.
 Holds a Certificate in Green Performance Agenda for Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)
in Eastern and Southern Africa: a Regional Capacity Building Initiative for
Consultants and MFIs, Hivos and Enclude, Harare, Zimbabwe, Pat 1 February
2014/August 2014; Part 2 May 4 2015- September 2, 2015.
 Holds a Certificate of completion, Management Concentration, The Boulder
Microfinance Training, Boulder Institute of Microfinance, Turin, Italy, July 17/August
8, 2009.
 Holds a Certificate of Expert Adjudicator in the Development of Entrepreneurship and
Small Business in Kenya at the 2012 Enablis ILO Safaricom Foundation Plan
Competition, Nairobi, Kenya, February 2013
 Holds a Certificate of Appreciation awarded for having contributed to the conduct of
the INAFI Global Conference on Microfinance, Remittances, and Development held
at Palais Des Congres, Benin, November 7-9, 2007.
 Holds a Certificate in Financial Services for the Poor: How Donors Can Make a
Difference, CGAP & UNCDF Microfinance Donor Training, November 10-14, 2003.
 Holds a Certificate in Trainer of Trainers Course in Microfinance, University of Dar es
Salaam, Entrepreneurship Center (UDEC), Tanzania Association of Microfinance
Institutions (TAMFI), and Swisscontact East Africa, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, August
22-25, 2005.
 Holds a Certificate for successfully completing the USAID/REDSO/ESA Workshop on
Partnering for Performance Monitoring, January 5-10, 1997.
 Proficiency in statistical analysis using SPSS and Microsoft Office.
Appendix A
Selected Consultancy Assignments
Client UNIFEM East and Horn of Africa Regional Office
Date 12 November 2008/ 17 January 2009
Location Kenya
International Consultant: Rapid Assessment of the Women Enterprise and
Development Fund, Government of Kenya, Ministry of Gender and Social Development
• Identified and assessed the programs’ affiliate partner microfinance intermediaries and framework for
disbursement of the Fund.
• Reviewed the Fund’s disbursement processes for each of the two components (MFIs and CWEF)
• Identify the challenges facing each disbursement mechanism
• Assessed the coverage of the MFIs in various parts of the country
• Reviewed the minimum conditions for accessing the fund through the Divisional Committees and made
appropriate recommendations for enhancing and strengthening the Fund.
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6. • Reviewed the minimum conditions for accessing the Fund through the Microfinance Institutions
component and made appropriate recommendations.
Client Novib (Oxfam Netherlands)
Date 2 February 2004/ 5 March 2004
Location Kenya
Lead Consultant, Due diligence: Monitoring of WEDCO Ltd, a MFI based in Kisumu,
Western Kenya and being a recipient of a loan of Euro 450,000.
• Made an assessment of the loan portfolio quality
• Evaluated financial performance in the entire period ending on 31 December 2003
• Evaluated the newly developed MIS to determine if it was working well
• Evaluated the organizational and management aspects of the MFI, e.g. quality of management;
quality of staff; organizational culture at all levels (Credit officer, Branch Management, head
office, and general management)
• Head office support to branch management and credit officers
• Communication and information flows from management to field staff and vice-versa
• Evaluated board functioning, internal audit
• Assessed the level of customer satisfaction
Client Medical Credit Fund (MCF) Africa
Date 23 July 2013/31 August 2013
Location Kenya
Consultant: Providing an overview of banking opportunities in designated countries in
the African region, starting and for now limited to Tanzania, to establish a potential
business case for MCF partner bank(s)
 Carried out a desk review of the relevant literature, to establish the size of the private healthcare
market in Tanzania.
 Computed the eligible demand for capital by the private healthcare sector, notably for two
regions targeted for a pilot initiative.
 Composed a write-up on the overview of the desk study and presented a report (maximum
eight pages) to MCF, which it shared with the National Microfinance Bank (NMB), this being the
first identified partner bank.
Client Stichting INAFI International (INAFI International Foundation)
Date 1 September 2008/ 20 September 2008
Location Senegal
Consultant: Prepare a report on Remittances and Microfinance based on regional
mappings in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (maximum of 20 pages) with information
and analysis on the following topics: history of INAFI; past activities on remittances,
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7. strategy of INAFI to harness the development potential of migrants’ remittances for
development, and possible activities in the future.
 Conducted a desk review of the various existing materials on microfinance and remittances in the three
regions, e.g., the regional mapping presented at the Ougadougou Expert Group meeting, Manuel
Orozco’s mapping in the three regions, and all relevant documents on the subject on the three regions,
and the INAFI project document on Remittances and Microfinance.
 Reviewed and analyzed primary data collected on the subject by Orozco in an earier mapping of the
regions
 Designed and conducted an online interview with member organizations that were already involved in
remittances or were in the process of entering into remittances business by end of 2007 to update
progress.
 Writing the draft and incorporating member organizations’ comments on the draft report on
Remittances and Microfinance in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
Client Rural Livelihood Development Company (RLDC)
Date 10 July 2006/ 22 September 2006
Location Tanzania
Team Leader and Rural Finance Specialist: Combined Baseline Survey for the
Formulation of Strategies for the Promotion of Financial Services, Micro- and Small-
Scale Enterprise, and Media.
 Identified and analyzed the needs and demands for financial services among the rural poor
households in the four regions of Morogoro, Dodoma, Singida, and Sinyanga, also known in
Tanzania as the Central Corridor.
 Investigated and analyzed the current provision of financial services in the Central Corridor in
qualitative and quantitative terms, besides indicating also the existing and planned initiatives of
Government or donors.
 Identified qualitative and quantitative supply gaps by relating the established needs and
demands with existing provision of financial services.
 From both the perspective of financial services providers and customers/potential customers,
identified constraints and opportunities in the provision of financial services in the Central
Corridor, particularly from the situations’ influence on livelihoods development.
 Assessed potential of linkages between financial member organizations and formal financial sector.
 Based on all insights from the above five tasks, proposed detailed strategies for the promotion of
financial services by RLDC.
Client African Union commission (AUC)
Date 9 April 2007/ 5 August 2008
Location Ethiopia, Tanzania, Africa
International Consultant: Elaborated the first-ever Road Map for the Development of
Microfinance in Africa.
The primary objective of the exercise was to propose a minimum set of policies and strategies,
including the legal, regulatory, and operationa framework for the development of microfinance
infrsutcture and services in Africa. The work recognized the critical role that microfiannce plays in
engaging the poor in productive income-generating and sustainable ventures that contribute to
economic growth in the region.
 Carried out a situation analysis of microfinance policies, strategies, and the legal, regulatory and
supervisory frameworks in each member state and at the level of regional economic
communities;
 Reviewed the policies and strategies and the legal framework with a view to harmonize them
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8. across the continent;
 Assessed the role played by local authorities in facilitating the operations of microfinance
service providers and the clients’ needs of other resources other than finance;
 Assessed member states capacity to adhere to best practices in microfinance service provision,
facilitation, and promotion benchmarked against high performing regions or countries in Africa
and elsewhere;
 Elaborated the minimum policies and strategies as well as the legal framework that member
states, individually and collectively, would need to adopt to make microfinance a valuable and
credible contributor to poverty reduction in Africa;
 Elaborated best practices to be adhered to and what benchmarks could be applied to assess
progress in building the right environment for the development of microfinance in Africa; and,
presented the draft final report to a workshop of member states for validation.
Client African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA) for the Rural Finance Knowledge
Management Partnership (KMP)
Date 22 October 2015/ 15 December 2015
Location Kenya (Nairobi)
Position held: Consultant to Develop Business case for the incorporation of the Knowledge
Management Partnership (KMP) into the Institute of Rural Finance in Africa ( IRFA). Specific tasks:
 Review the conference proceedings report and individual presentations made at the June 2015
conference and distill new major strategic objectives and strategies for the partnership.
 Establish whether some of the development partners would be interested in becoming part of
the partnership and, if so, to assess their motivation, vision, and current agenda for the sector.
 Ddevelop a business case for the KMP next round of activities and operations covering a new
three-year period of 2016-2019, with clear direction on: ownership/vision; new partnerships; and
institutional and operational design..
 Organize a stakeholder’s workshop and present the draft business case for validation.
Client Bank of Tanzania (BoT)
(with The World Bank funding)
Date 8 April 1997/ 30 September 1997
Location Tanzania
Team Leader, Institutional and Policy Assessments: Conduct a national survey of
institutions and projects involved in the supply of rural finance/microfinance, e.g.,
commercial banks, savings groups, cooperative banks, community banks, NGOs,
financial cooperatives, etc.
 Design and carry out a statistically representative national survey of institutions and projects
involved in the provision of rural /micro finance throughout Tanzania
 Analyse the financial intermediation capacity and financial performance of 14 branches of the
[then] two leading commercial banks in Tanzania (National Bank of Commerce and CRDB Bank
Ltd.), 10 rural and urban SACCOs, the Kilimanjaro Co-operative Bank, and five financial NGOs.
 Based on the results, develop five model cases of best practice for the different institutions and
projects involved in rural/micro finance
 Propose a national strategy and regulatory, supervisory, and legal framework for developing
capacity for financial institutions in Tanzania.
 Present the findings and proposals at a national forum for investors and policy makers and
participate in the policy dialogue.
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9. Client INAFI Africa Trust Limited
Date 1 December 2007/ 31March 2008
Location Kenya
Consultant: Assessment of Member Organizations’ capacity building needs and
development of a funding proposal to Oxfam-Novib
 A survey of members’ capacity building needs and industry challenges
 Strategy formulation and development for a 3-year capacity building plan of action
 And developing a € 500,000 funding proposal for the 54-member INAFI Africa network.
Client Swedish Cooperative Centre
Date 8 July 2003 / 29 August 2003
Location Kenya
Lead Consultant: Community Finance and Empowerment (COFEP) Project
COFEP (Community Finance and Empowerment) was a five-year project implemented by the Cooperative
Bank of Kenya and designed to support community-based financial intermediaries in expanding and
deepening outreach through market research, product development, and broad based improvements to
their management systems and service delivery methodologies.
 Conduct Baseline Surveys and Socio-economic Studies of Community-Based Financial
Intermediaries in Kenya
 Assist in preparing an Initiation report to set visions regarding the modernization and
development of model operating system for community-based financial cooperatives and
institutions in Kenya
 Develop terms of references and review the quality of manuals developed by subject specialist
consultants; and,
 Design and facilitate two workshops (a) to present the results of the baseline surveys, formulate visions
for modernized operating systems for community-based financial intermediaries, and (b) present draft
operating systems. Identified and assessed the programs’ affiliate partner microfinance intermediaries
and framework for disbursement of the Fund.
Client Government of Kenya, British ODA (DfID)
Date 1 March 1994/30 June 1994
Location Kenya
Team Leader/Researcher in the design and conduct of a national survey/inventory of
the literature, projects and institutions involved in micro, small and medium size
enterprise in Kenya
 Developed the project concept note and funding proposal in response to request for proposal
from the ODA (now DfID)
 Developed the survey methodology, implementation plan, and budget
 Coordinated and supervised the hiring of project personnel
 Supported the Deputy Director responsible for the Research and Consultancy Department in
Communicating with major stakeholders about the project and implementation plan to receive
their feedback and support
 Trained librarians, enumerators, and other staff involved in identifying and collection of relevant
information for the exercising
 Conceptualized and designed three different databases for the project
 Coordinated the recruitment and engaged of the systems designed and developed
 Coordinated and supervised the review of materials and documentation
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10.  Monitored and supervised project implementation
 Supervised the overall project implementation and delivery
 Based on the results of the survey, developed a database and an annotated bibliography
(published) of such institutions and projects.
 One of the recommendations, which was later funded by the ODA and institutionalized into a
dedicated resource center for microfinance and small-enterprise development, was the setup of
the Arifu Resource Center (hosted at the K-Rep Bank head office).
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