"It's rare to find someone so humble with the depth of knowledge and passion shown by Al Kags. I have had the pleasure and privilege of witnessing first hand his innovation, understanding and resilience. Even as a busy successful serial entrepreneur Al is always willing to take the time to truly understand and support the needs of his customers, government and society at large while always keeps their best interests first. Al embodies leadership and I would trust him to deliver on any project."

"I've worked as a funder supporting Open Institute and have always admired Al's leadership in Kenyan civil society, the transparency and humility with which he approaches his work, and the focus he places on mentoring Kenya's next generation of civil society leaders."

"Al Kags is someone whom I have worked with on various platforms that have been in the spheres of Marketing, Governmental and Technology where his contributions have been impactful. His key traits all along have been straightforward, precise, thought provoking and effective. He is a sharp shooter who knows his stuff and will only speak if he feels and believes that his thoughts are engaged with what he wants to achieve. It is a joy to see how this young lad then has continued to soar and transform not only himself but all those that have come into contact with him in to a matured game changer. He is not an out of the box thinker, for him there is no confinement of a box! This is a man to watch for he is the future of the Africa!"

"Al Kags is a creative, strategic thinker with a unique combination of experience and networks from the public, private and non-profit sectors. From both a technical and business-culture perspective, he actively envisions how to tangibly improve outcomes and then puts the work in to garner the resources and support necessary for implementation and delivery. He provided practical and strategic leadership as a board member of a growing organization, and as the Chair of the Partnership Committee for the multi-lateral partnership. Kags matches this remarkable skill set with unwavering integrity and commitment. He is an absolute pleasure to work with and brings great, positive energy to the team."

"Al Kags is a brilliant brand strategist. He led us through the process to rebrand our Sacco and reposition ourselves from being a small Kilifi-based Sacco with just 10,000 members to a regional Sacco with more than 150,000 members. He knows how to bring ideas to life and I like to keep him close to Imarika."

Al Kags is one of the most thoughtful, principled people I've worked with. I first got to know him when he led the Open Institute with a rare combination of outside-the-box thinking and grounded pragmatism — he was always willing to challenge assumptions rather than default to "the way things have always been done." As founder and CEO, Al saw a gap that others missed and built an organization capable of doing real, effective work at the grassroots level. That took vision and grit, and he never lost sight of either, even when the work got hard.

What stands out most to me, though, is his integrity. Whether in conversation or in writing, Al is honest and direct, and you always know his advice is genuine rather than diplomatic hedging.

I also serve alongside Al on the board of Publish What You Fund, where I saw another side of his leadership: composure under pressure. In tense moments, Al has a knack for stepping back, seeing the bigger picture, and finding durable solutions — all while managing relationships with real sensitivity.

Al would be an asset to any organization or initiative lucky enough to have him!