Idle Farah is a primatologist with a Ph.D. from Uppsala University, Sweden. Prior to becoming the Director-General of the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) he was the director of the Institute of Primate Research in Kenya. He is also chairman of the board of the Centre of Heritage Development in Africa (formerly the Programme for Museum Development in Africa - PMDA). Following EU funded upgrades to Nairobi Museum in the mid-2000s, which sought to challenge the notion of Africa's readiness for restitution, Farah diplomatically campaigned for the return of Kenyan belongings from USA and Europe. He announced plans to create an inventory, and allayed Western fears of empty museums by stating that ""only the most important ones must come home"".