Our History

2008 - 2013

• In 2008, the vision to set up ‘something’ research-related for Africa is born in Mokeira Masita’s heart and mind; she fondly refers to it as ‘Vision 2012’. This is what eventually becomes Research PLUS Africa.
• While the vision takes time to shape and crystalize Mokeira is certain about a few things:
  • Not going it alone but rather collaborating with other like-minded people from the onset.
  • Not re-inventing the wheel i.e. setting up yet another typical research agency.
  • Ensuring there is some purpose and meaning to it beyond being a career pursuit.
• In 2012 Mokeira finally has her ‘aha’ moment (what is now the Research Staff service by Research PLUS) – the idea to invest in developing a good pool of African researchers from entry level onwards and avail these staff to anyone seeking to carry out research in Africa.
• Still in 2012 Mokeira reaches out to 2 other African researchers – Dixie Avugwi and Faith Ronoh-Boreh, asking them to join the cause which they agree to.
• The trio spends 2012 and part of 2013 crystalizing the vision including carrying out some research on the ideas and concepts they come up with to ensure they are filling critical gaps and that these resonate to the vision they have coined of ‘Taking research in Africa to greater heights’ and the company values of Beyond Basics, Research Excellence, Ever Engaging, Novel Approaches, and Talent Nurturing, and the tagline ‘Going the extra mile’. Additional services developed include Research Data and Research Counsel.
• On 20th May 2013, the company named Research PLUS is officially incorporated in Kenya, with the trio as the directors and shareholders – it was agreed that Mokeira would take on the role of CEO, Dixie would be the Director of Research and Faith would be Director of Operations. The PLUS is an important part of the name as it signifies all what the agency does beyond a typical agency; the things that will bring the vision alive.

2013 - 2016

• Operating with very lean resources but needing to put forward a very professional outlook, Research PLUS sets up a virtual office at the ESBC Wilson Business Park.
• The initial vision/flagship service of the company, Research Staff is slow to take off not surprising to the trio given the dipstick research they did while setting up indicated that the market was not ready for this service.
• In 2013, Research PLUS secures it’s first project with Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) and this is a Research Counsel job.
  • It entails handholding the client to design the research survey including the data collection tools, drawing the sample, training the KOAN team to be able to go out to field and collect the data themselves all the while providing some supervisory and quality control support for them while in field, entering and analyzing the data on their behalf and preparing a report.
• Business gains momentum especially the Research Data service when Dixie reconnects with Johnny Heald the founder of Opinion Research Business (ORB) in the UK.
  • ORB have a lot of work for Africa and need a reliable data collection partner with operations in Africa. Research PLUS hits it out of the park with the first project ORB commissions to them recording the lowest ever data anomalies ever seen by ORB (less than 1% as compared to other suppliers in other countries recording as high as 30%!) and continues to consistently deliver high quality outputs project after project.
  • Research PLUS becomes ORB’s preferred partner for Research Data in East Africa.
• In 2014, Research PLUS conceptualizes and launches an additional service focusing on Quality Assurance and Quality Control dubbed Research Monitor. The launch is an experiential event at a local glass blowing factory where guests are taken on a journey of quality assurance and quality control from the perspective of production of a physical product and trying to draw parallels with QA and QC from a research standpoint. The event was well-attended by representatives from various local and international companies and organizations. The Research Monitor service was also designed to be a collaboration between Research PLUS and SwissPeaks International.
• In 2016 the Mastercard Foundation makes contact with Research PLUS through a consultant Calum Handforth, hired to find reputable organisations in Africa that they and their implementing partners can work with on research and evaluation assignments. Calum reaches out to Mokeira and several discussions, interviews and meetings down the line Research PLUS becomes an approved supplier for the Mastercard Foundation. Shortly after Research PLUS is commissioned to carry out the Mid Term Review of the Wings to Fly Program implemented by the Equity Group Foundation and funded by the Mastercard Foundation.
• In 2016 Mokeira wins the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) global award to attend the annual QRCA conference that year being held in Orlando, Florida USA. This marks a new chapter for Research PLUS in terms of expanded networks and collaborations and becoming the preferred partner for researchers in the US seeking to tap into the research industry in Africa.
  • One exciting partnership forges is with Discuss IO that is a trailblazer in carrying out online research interviews and discussions on a proprietary online platform developed by them. At that time carrying out digital qualitative interviews is close to non-existent for the Africa market but Research PLUS and Discuss IO make a breakthrough for Africa. The start is Kenya, followed by Tanzania and Uganda and in time Research PLUS is able to expand this to Nigeria. (The COVID and post-COVID era from 2020 pushes other platforms to the surface e.g. Zoom, Teams and more people start working online and doing more research interviews online).
• In the 2013 to 2016 period Research PLUS continues to build a great portfolio of partners and clients including very large international businesses and organizations including Google, Facebook, Mastercard Foundation, ORB, Discuss IO, among others.
  • The client base is largely (approximately 90%) international.

2017 - 2018

• In 2016 Mokeira tables a proposal on setting up a research center within a local university. This research center would help drive the vision of the company in many ways. The mandate would be:
  • To develop the next generation of researchers.
  • To demystify research.
  • To originate cutting edge research (by Africans for Africa).
  • To provide research resources and research consultations within the research centre.
• The Marist University College is one of the targets and after several discussions and consultations in 2017 the two parties come to an agreement and sign a 5 year MoU that signifies the start of the Marist Research Center.
• Part of 2017 is spent renovating and ‘kitting out’ the designated classrooms within the university to convert them into what becomes a world class research center. It houses:
  • A training space, a resource center, a breakout area, a Focus Group Discussion facility with a viewing alley, a CATI center, a boardroom and an executive office space for the Research PLUS team to sit within the research center.
• In June 2017 the research center begins operations. In the same year Josephine Njungi joins Research PLUS as External Relations Associate after returning to Kenya having completed her Masters in Power Participation and Social Change at University of Sussex UK. She is keen to launch her career in research with a focus on Action Research. She approaches Mokeira and she is granted the opportunity to sit within the Research Center to explore launching her research career as she helps push the mandate of the Marist Research Center.
• In February 2018, the Marist Research Center is officially opened through a media launch – it is a colourful and impactful event that draws attention far and wide. Other universities come round to request how they too can partake and benefit from this resource.
• With the birth of the Marist Research Center, additional Research PLUS services are conceived – Research Round-Up (monthly forums bringing together the public, academia and industry to help demistify research), Research Spring (to originate cutting edge research).

2018 - 2021

• The period between 2018 and 2021 embodies a spurt of growth for the company what with the various activities at the Research Center that bring the PLUS and the vision as a whole alive, as well as a steadily growing client base:
  • Research PLUS now has more international clients and partners but also experiences a lot of growth on the local scene. Over and above the Equity Group Foundation, Research PLUS in this period is doing research for among other local companies – Jambo Foods (Britania), Bamburi Lafarge, Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI), Nation Media Group, Well Told Story. The local client base is now at about 30% of the portfolio.
  • Research PLUS also continues to grow its social research studies which are the lion’s share of its portfolio but also gains traction with market/commercial type of research.
• In 2019 Josephine Njungi is co-opted into Research PLUS as Director Strategy and Planning after a successful induction into the research world and launching of her career in Action Research.
• In 2019 Mokeira attends an East African convening on promoting evidence-based communications amongst human rights organisations from Kenya Uganda and Tanzania. The need for a research fellowship to build capacity of such practitioners is evident by the end of the convening and Mokeira feels compelled to develop something to satisfy this need.
  • The Practitioner Academy is conceptualised and Research PLUS obtains funding for it from an inetrnational funding partner to run a pilot cohort.
• Between 2019 and 2020 Research PLUS expands its staff base by bringing on board a good number of Project Managers to support the directors with the work – we are stretched!
• In March 2020 the COVID pandemic leads to a shutdown. The research industry in Africa is heavily affected as the typical data collection approach in Africa is in-person, face-to-face, household level, especially for national representative surveys.
• Research PLUS is quick to pivot; in collaboration with ORB a plan to set up a nationally representative telephone panel is executed and within no time this is up and running. Research PLUS is thus able to continue doing surveys throughout the height of the pandemic through phone interviews.
• The Practitioner Academy originally conceptualized as in-person work-study programme also kicks off as a virtual programme due to the pandemic.
• In June 2021, Research PLUS bids for and wins the contract for Impact Partner Organisation for Mastercard Foundation in Kenya. The contract comes live in October 2021. Part of the mandate of the IPO is to run a Young Impact Association Programme which seeks to develop the next generation of evaluators.
• All the developments of the period 2018 to 2021 signify that Research PLUS has outgrown the space at the Marist Research Center. There is need to expand the training of students to accommodate students from other universities thus evolve the Marist Research Center into the Learn Academy, the staff base has increased what with the various Project Managers and thematic experts working on various assignments within Research PLUS, the Practitioner Academy is live with plans to undertake some in-person sessions, a new capacity building activity the Young Impact Associates is set to kick off in 2022.
• Research PLUS seeks expansion space within the Marist University College which is coinciding with the conclusion of the 5 year MoU. Unfortunately there is no space since Marist has in the period also grown susbtantially in enrolment and courses offered and therefore have no extra space to allocate to Research PLUS. A suitable space is identified elsewhere and renovations begin in December 2021.

2022 - DATE

• In January 2022, Research PLUS moves into the Research hub at the May East Road in Karen; a world class hub that is set to become the next big thing in terms of Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning activities in the region.
• The company continues to expand its footprint in Africa (20 countries to date) and expand its client base, and number and type of assignments carried out (350+ projects to date), full-time staff, etc.
• In 2022 Research PLUS goes global by winning a bid for a research evaluation of a global youth programme being implemented in 20 countries worldwide.
• The bulk of the countries are in Africa but there are a significant number of countries in Latin America and Asia that are a part of the program. The client desires Research PLUS to bid for and carry out the entire evaluation for all countries in and out of Africa.
• In 2023 Research PLUS celebrates its 10th anniversary in May 2023; it has been a journey of growth and success in Africa.