A classically self-made businessman, Kiondo founded KI in 1997 and has presided over its growth into an international consulting firm with a portfolio of completed and on-going projects worth millions of U.S. dollars. He named the firm for his birth region in Tanzania, designing it to combine access to international practitioners with a healthy dose of local management and staff. It has expanded throughout Africa and is reaching out to other nations around the world.

Before starting the company, Kiondo took a look at the range of business opportunities in emerging, developing and transitioning countries in Africa and beyond. He realized that the public and private sector environments in these countries, particularly in Tanzania, were rapidly changing to meet the challenges of global competition. Democratic reform and political pluralism, public service reform, liberalization and privatization of state-owned businesses -- all were changes aimed at ensuring economic, social, and political survival in a globalized setting.

Kiondo saw that a partnership between countries with developed economies and client-organizations in emerging, developing and transitioning nations offered the best chance for economic stability, good governance, and ultimately better lives for local citizens. He concluded that there was an urgent need to establish a company to provide clients with access to global, broad-based professional assistance while also developing local human resources and management.

Mission
To provide globally-informed, locally-tailored professional services solutions in emerging, developing, and transitioning countries in Africa and beyond.

Vision
To play a meaningful role in transforming public, commercial, and civil society organizations through creative insight, informed direction, and enduring impact.

Values
KI's values offer a clear guide to how the company works and acts in achieving goals - both their own and their client partners. These values can be summed up with the acronym SOAR, which is ideal given the nature of the uplifting vision and company name.

• Service - Work tirelessly to encourage relationships based on trust and care so that everyone succeeds in the spirit of partnership. KI brings an acute sense of determination to every project, and they desire to impact and inspire others positively so that, working together, extraordinary results (as well as organizational goals) are achieved.
• Openness -Seek to uphold ethical standards transparently, because they all have to live with the outcomes of the work. They understand deeply that KI has a special commitment to the long-term success of the engagements, and KI does not modify the standards or cut corners for any reason.
• Advancement - Aspire to be the best they can be, and always working towards continuous improvement. KI has a clear desire to drive outcomes by being productive, effective, and standard setting. Yet the desire to leave a supportive, results-laden legacy is always more important to them than short-term, fleeting rewards. KI wants to be remembered, but it's more important for those they have worked with to leave their own positive legacy.
• Respect - Embrace diversity, bolster dignity, and practice active listening - these are vital. KI is proud of what it offers, but they understand that the work is certainly not all about "us"; it is about "we". From clients to partners to citizens to other stakeholders, they engage humbly with an open mind and an open heart.