Lilian Kirimi is a Senior Research Fellow and the Research Coordinator at Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development, Egerton University.  She represents the Institute as a Research Director in the Africa Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ANAPRI). Lilian holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University and is an alumnus of AWARD (African Women in Agricultural Research and Development).

She has over sixteen years experience in research on agriculture and food systems in Kenya and the region. Lilian’s research, policy influence and capacity building cover a broad range of issues related to agrifood system transformation, food and nutrition security, climate change, value chain analytics and gender analysis. She has provided leadership for research and advocacy on agricultural policy, institutional and policy reforms, and coordination within the agricultural sector. This has supported evidence-based policy development from policy planning to prioritization, and monitoring. Her contributions to agricultural transformation in Kenya include the formulation of policy documents such as the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS), Agriculture Policy, National Agriculture Research Systems Policy and Agriculture Sector Gender Policy.

Lilian has facilitated and spearheaded policy and capacity development initiatives, aimed at improving the policy-enabling environment at the national and county levels in Kenya. These include the functional analysis of the agriculture sector at the national and county levels, regulatory impact assessments, and capacity building on policy and strategy formulation for the stakeholders in the sector. She also serves on the Gender Resource Team in the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Research, Capacity, and Influence (PRCI) led by Michigan State University.