David Osiany
David Osiany is a Kenyan public-policy strategist, communications executive, and former Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) at the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade & Enterprise Development. A BA (Communication) graduate of the University of Nairobi and Chevening Scholar with an MSc in Public Policy from the University of Bristol, he has spent 15 years at the nexus of governance, private enterprise, and social advocacy.
Osiany first served as a special adviser in the Office of the Prime Minister, where he coordinated youth-employment and devolution dossiers. He went on to oversee governance and civic-engagement portfolios for Oxfam’s Pan-African programme before leading external affairs assignments for PATH, UNDP, UNFPA, and the Nairobi International Financial Centre. In 2016 he founded Crestwood Marketing & Communications, a boutique firm that now manages reputation, policy, and investor relations for clients in 10 African countries.
Appointed CAS in 2021, Osiany championed Kenya’s uptake of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), led the MSME Post-Covid Recovery Fund, and steered localisation of the Buy-Kenya-Build-Kenya policy. He also co-chaired Kenya’s negotiations on rules-of-origin for pharmaceutical and textile exports, positioning local firms for continental supply-chain contracts.
Now a senior fellow at the Africa Policy Research Institute, Osiany mentors young entrepreneurs through the Kenya National Innovation Agency and hosts the podcast “Policy & Prosperity,” dissecting how smart regulation can unlock inclusive growth.