Political Consultant at Fanisi HR Solutions

Our client, Africa E-Mobility Alliance, an organisation operating in the Sustainability and Clean Mobility sector, is seeking to engage a Political Consultant to support its efforts to keep electric mobility (e-mobility) on the national agenda before, during, and after Kenya’s election transition.

The consultant will help the organisation and its partners understand the evolving political landscape, identify appropriate opportunities for engagement, and build constructive, non-partisan relationships with the incoming administration.

The assignment is primarily diagnostic and preparatory. It will involve political and bureaucratic mapping, timeline development, scenario planning, and strategic recommendations to inform the organisation’s engagement approach throughout the election and transition period.

Key Responsibilities

Political Landscape Mapping

• Map candidates and coalitions likely to shape the next administration, including their interests, agendas, and stated positions on e-mobility, industrial policy, and transport.
• Identify technical teams, advisers, and other appropriate counterparts for policy dialogue.
• Review and update the political landscape mapping at agreed intervals as developments unfold.

Political and Bureaucratic Timeline

• Develop a timeline of political activity across the pre-election, election, and transition periods, including relevant public and behind-the-scenes developments.
• Map key bureaucratic milestones, including parliamentary activity and wind-down, electoral commission milestones, and the availability of public officials.
• Identify realistic and appropriate windows for engagement with political actors and bureaucratic stakeholders.

Comparative Learning and Contextualisation

• Participate in community-to-community exchanges with other global e-mobility communities.
• Translate lessons from other contexts into practical recommendations for the Kenyan environment.
• Advise on how roles and approaches used in other communities could be adapted to the Kenyan partner ecosystem.

Scoping and Engagement Recommendations

• Define the scope, need, and design of any proposed period of more active engagement, supported by a clear evidence base.
• Develop recommendations to help the organisation determine whether further support is required, and under what terms.
• Identify relevant considerations, risks, and opportunities associated with deeper engagement.

Partner Briefing and Coordination

• Keep the organisation and partner organisations informed of relevant political and bureaucratic developments, risks, and opportunities.
• Prepare concise briefings and updates to support partner decision-making.
• Contribute political and bureaucratic timelines to community planning processes.

Election Scenario Planning and Post-Election Strategic Guidance

• Develop plausible election scenarios and assess their implications for e-mobility policy and the organisation’s relationships with government.
• Provide strategic guidance on positioning and engagement under each scenario, particularly during the post-election period and transition to a new administration.
• Identify priority engagement entry points, messages, and timing for the post-election period.
• Highlight associated risks and opportunities.
• Advise on maintaining continuity of the Vehicle Efficiency Regulation and battery circularity agenda throughout the transition.

Qualifications and Experience

• Deep working knowledge of Kenya’s political economy, electoral cycle, and the factors that influence policy continuity across administrations.
• Established relationships across the political spectrum, maintained without partisan identification.
• Demonstrable understanding of parliamentary and bureaucratic processes, including how and when public officials can appropriately be engaged.
• Strong analytical writing skills, with the ability to produce clear mapping, timeline, briefing, and recommendation documents.
• High levels of discretion, sound judgement, and the ability to work effectively behind the scenes.
• No conflicting engagement with a campaign, political party, or candidate during the assignment.
• Willingness to disclose relevant interests and potential conflicts of interest.

Desirable Experience

• Familiarity with Kenya’s transport, energy, industrial, or climate policy landscape.
• Experience advising coalitions, donor-funded programmes, or think tanks through political transitions.
• Existing relationships with technical teams and advisers around senior political actors.
• Experience in scenario planning or advising organisations through a change of government.