Elyas Hassan

Resume photo

Elyas Hassan

Senior Research Scientist / Assistant Regional Director
E-mail : ehassan@kefri.org
Researcher ID : 0000-0001-7135-2917
Designation : Senior Research Scientist / Assistant Regional Director
Expertise : Social Economic and Livelihood

Journal papers

  1. Elyas, H., Luvanda, A. M., & Mwalewa, S. U. (2020). Market Analysis for Aloe Products in Samburu County, Kenya. Journal of International Business, Innovation and Strategic Management, 4(1), 83–97. ISSN 2617-1805. https://www.jibism.org/core_files/index.php/JIBISM/article/view/122
  2. Elyas Hassan Mohamed and Patrick Mbataru. (2021). Socio-Economic Contribution of Prosopis juliflora on the Livelihoods of Local Communities in Garissa County, Kenya. Journal of International Business, Innovation and Strategic Management, 5(2), 1–17. ISSN 2617-1805. https://jibism.org/core_files/index.php/JIBISM/article/view/149
  3. Elyas, H., Luvanda, A. M., Mwalewa, S. U. and Amina, M. (2022). Analysis of Socio-Economic Contribution of Prosopis juliflora to the Livelihood of Local Communities in Tana River and Garissa Counties in Kenya. American International Journal of Business Management, 5(9), pp. 96–105, September 2022. ISSN 2379-106X. View publication (PDF)
  4. Mwalewa, S. U., Luvanda, A. M. and Elyas, H. (2022). Prosopis juliflora Products Market Chain Analysis in Garissa and Tana River County, Kenya. Octa Journal of Environmental Research, pp. 1–10. https://sciencebeingjournal.com/octa-journal-environmental-research/prosopis-juliflora-products-market-chain-analysis-garissa-and-ta

Policy Briefs

  1. Amina A. Maalim, Elyas Hassan, Joram Kagombe, Albert M. Luvanda, Mohamed H. Omar, Jaffer N. Galole and Ahmed M. Ibrahim. (July 2025). Restoration and Reclamation of Neltuma juliflora (formerly Prosopis juliflora) Invaded Areas in Kenya. KEFRI Policy Brief No. 1. View policy brief (PDF)
  2. Ahmed M. Mohamed, Elyas Hassan, Amina A. Maalim, Joram Kagombe, Nasra S. Hanshi, Ambia A. Osman and Yussuf A. Bile. (July 2025). Control and Management of Neltuma juliflora (formerly Prosopis juliflora) Invasive Weed: A Boon for Communities in Drylands of Kenya. KEFRI Policy Brief No. 2. View policy brief (PDF)
  3. Abdiladif A. Haret, Amina A. Maalim, Elyas Hassan, Joram Kagombe, Albert M. Luvanda, Mathew B. Buya and Mohamed S. Abdisalat. (July 2025). Commercialization, Economic Opportunities, and Value Chain Development of Neltuma juliflora (formerly Prosopis juliflora) Products in Kenya. KEFRI Policy Brief No. 3. View policy brief (PDF)
  4. Elyas Hassan Mohamed, Joram Kagombe, Amina A. Maalim, Albert M. Luvanda, Rashid W. Musa and Mulki M. Deqow. (July 2025). Enhancing and Expanding Market Connections for Prosopis-Based Energy Products. KEFRI Policy Brief No. 4. View policy brief (PDF)

Conferences/Seminars/Workshops

  1. Elyas Hassan Mohamed, Mwalewa U.S., Magret M. Kaigongi, Albert Luvanda, George Muthike and Joseph Githiomi. (2024). Review and Documentation of Plant Natural Products and Indigenous Knowledge in Eastern and Northern Region of Kenya. In: Forests & Society Towards 2050: XXVI IUFRO World Congress 2024 — Book of Abstracts, p. 1800. Session T2.17 — Local Ecological Knowledge of Non-Wood Forest Products for Sustainable Forest Management and Human Well-Being in Diverse Contexts. International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), Uppsala.
  2. Elyas, H. M., Amina, A. M., Luvanda, A. M., Kagombe, J. K., Okul, V. A., Lilyanne, V. N., Kiandiko, M. M. and Asfaw, K. (2025). Sustainable Utilization of Prosopis juliflora as a Pathway to Green Jobs and Livelihood Enhancement in Garissa and Tana River Counties, Kenya. Paper presented at the ILO 20th Regional Conference on Employment-Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Held on 19th - 23rd May 2025. Sub-theme: Striking the balance between the use of labour, technology, and sustainability to drive decent jobs. ILO seminar papers (PDF) | KEFRI project page

Research Reports/Technical Notes

  1. Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI). (2025). Final Project Technical Completion Report — Prosopis juliflora Management for Decent Green Jobs and Livelihood Support to Host Communities and Refugees in Garissa and Tana River Counties. (A KEFRI Project Technical Completion Report; Elyas Hassan Mohamed, Principal Investigator) https://www.kefri.org/components/prosopis_garissa/prosopis_garissa.html
  2. Elyas Hassan Mohamed. (2022). Socio-Economic Contribution of Invasive Bushes on Livelihood of Local Communities: A Case of Mathenge Plant (Prosopis juliflora) in Garissa County, Kenya. Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration research project, Kenyatta University. View thesis (Kenyatta University repository)

Experience

  • June 2020 – to date : Assistant Regional Director / Senior Research Scientist, Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Garissa Centre
  • January 2016 – May 2020 : Research Scientist and Officer In Charge, Garissa Office, Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Garissa Centre
  • 2014 – 2015 : Programmes Manager, Wajir South Development Association (WASDA), Somalia Programme
  • 2012 – 2014 : Project Officer, Wajir South Development Association (WASDA), Kenya Programme

Donor-Funded Projects

  1. Prosopis juliflora Management for Decent Green Jobs and Livelihood Support to Host Communities and Refugees in Garissa and Tana River Counties (2024–2025, Phase I). Role: Principal Investigator. Donor: Government of the Netherlands, through the ILO PROSPECTS Kenya programme; implemented by KEFRI under Implementation Agreement No. 40449764/0. Coverage: Garissa and Tana River counties. Focus: invasive species management, restoration of degraded land, decent green-job creation, livelihood support, community capacity building and value chains for Prosopis-derived products, through community engagement, mechanical removal, improved charcoal production, animal-feed processing, value addition and policy engagement. View project
  2. Enhancing the Climate Resilience of Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Communities through the Use of Improved Rangeland Restoration and Technology in Garissa and Wajir Counties (2023). Partners: Mercy Corps and CISCO. Technical role: assessment, capacity building, restoration, technical guidance, and monitoring and evaluation.
  3. Soil Assessment and Agroforestry/Restoration Planning for Border Point 1 and Neboi, Mandera County (2026). Development partner: International Organization for Migration (IOM), in a KOICA-supported intervention, with KEFRI providing technical research support. Technical role: soil sampling, interpretation and presentation of soil laboratory findings, technical reporting, and development of agroforestry and restoration recommendations.

Administrative Responsibility

  • June 2020 – to date : Assistant Regional Director and Head, KEFRI Garissa Centre
  • 2024 – 2025 : Principal Investigator, KEFRI–ILO PROSPECTS Prosopis juliflora Management Project
  • January 2016 – May 2020 : Officer In Charge, KEFRI Garissa Office

Academic Qualification

  • 2018 – 2022 : Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration, Kenyatta University. Research area: Socio-economic contribution of Prosopis juliflora to the livelihoods of local communities in Garissa County, Kenya
  • 2008 – 2012 : Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (First Class Honours), Moi University

Key Competencies

  1. Integrity
  2. Result oriented and good decision maker
  3. Teamwork
  4. Creativity
  5. Proactive
  6. Innovative

Leadership and Professional Qualifications

  • 2026 : Digital Leadership and Strategy, Kenya School of Government
  • 22-29 September 2025 : Strategic Leadership Development Programme (SLDP), Kenya School of Government
  • 2025 : ESG Reporting, Institute of ESG
  • 2022 : Environmental Impact Assessment and Social Audit, Garissa University
  • 2021 : Resource Mobilization (Grant Proposal Writing and Management), Training Centre of Communication Africa
  • 2019 : Senior Management Course (No. 112/2019), Kenya School of Government (KSG), Embu Campus
  • 2017 : ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 Integrated Management Systems Training, Bureau Veritas. Covered quality management systems, environmental management systems, transition awareness and integrated management system documentation

Other Courses

  • September 2026 : Building Blocks for Effective National Monitoring and Evaluation Systems, World Bank Group
  • 2026 : Inclusive Market Systems Development for Refugees and Host Communities, International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO)
  • December 2025 : Data Management and Governance, Kenya School of Government
  • December 2025 : Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence, Kenya School of Government
  • 2025 : Project Management Training, Cornerstone / PMI-related programme
  • July 2015 : Project Cycle Management, WASDA Somalia Programme
  • Employment-Centred Green Transformation, International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO)
  • E-Procurement, World Bank
  • Contract Management, iNET / World Bank Group

Professional Memberships

  1. Environmental Institute of Kenya
  2. Association of Certified Development Professionals–Kenya (ACDP-K), Membership No. ACPD-K 141