Writing Powerful Reports– Lessons from Waki

Waki hands over his report to Kibaki | Photo:Daily Nation

Few reports in Kenya have had as much influence and stature as the famous Waki Report. Waki was the chair of a commission of inquiry that investigated matters relating to the Post Election Violence (PEV) that engulfed Kenya during the 2007 election cycle. While the Waki Commission could not claim any superiority compared to other commissions, its report proved to be more portent that any other report written in Kenya since independence. So what are the key lessons a report writer can learn from Waki when it comes to producing powerful reports?

Authority: A Powerful Report is Credible

Waki’s commission had one thing going for it. The commission managed to avoid perceptions of political influence, a fete barely achieved by any other commission of inquiry in Kenya. Even when you take into account the misgivings expressed by those who were adversely mentioned by Waki, it is hard to pin external influence on the work of the commission. Waki’s commission must have understood the immense responsibility they had towards the people of Kenya, and it seems the commission managed to retain its credibility throughout the process.

Consequence: A Powerful Report has a Life of its Own

Waki’s report had one clever element that many other reports lack. The report was “self-executing”. The commission designed its recommendations in such a way that almost no one could bar its implementation. Waki gave local processes first priority, but had an inbuilt “fail-safe” mechanism where the commission would hand over names of those suspected of crimes to the international criminal court (ICC). It is clear that the commission did not just gather facts to develop a report. The commission went ahead to analyze those facts and thought about the best mechanisms to ensure the resulting recommendations would be implemented. A great report doesn’t simply report facts, it uses those facts to provide recommendations of consequence, recommendations that cannot be ignored

Timing: A Powerful Report is Timely

Timing is everything. Wakis report demonstrates this truth beautifully. Waki’s commission came into being at a time when Kenya needed to get past the crippling impact of the PEV. The national mood indicated that those who bore the highest responsibility for the PEV events should be prosecuted. In this regard, the report not only came when the nation needed answers, but also when it was ready to hear those answers. Speak about striking while the iron is hot. Every great report became great because it was released at a time when everyone needed to hear what it had to say. Mastering the timing for releasing a report is a neat skill.

Naming : A Powerful Report has a Sweet Short Name

The last thing about the Waki report that made it great was that it has a nice neat name. What’s in a name? you may ask. The answer is quite surprising. If you ask an average Kenya about a national report he knows something about and give him these options; Waki Report, Ndung’u Report, Koech Report, or Akiwumi Report, which one will they pick. My bet would be on the Waki Report. While Waki’s report had other things going for it, a sweet short name helped. (Actually, the report has an official name, “(Report of the) Commission of Inquiry into Post-Election Violence”, but who cares?) When you name your reports, give them a sweet short name. 

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