Commisioners

Dr. Beatrice Inyangala

PS, MEMBER

Dr. Beatrice Muganda Inyangala is currently the Principal Secretary, State Department for University Education and Research in the Ministry of Education.

Prof. Raphael Munavu

Member

Prof. Raphael Munavu is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Nairobi where he has served since 1976.  He is   current Chairman of the Kenya National Academy of Sciences (KNAS) as well as   Chairman of the Council of South Eastern University College (SEUCO). 

Prof. Munavu attended Kalamazoo College (B.A, 1967-1970); Wayne State University (M.Sc., 1970- 1972) and the University of Detroit (Ph.D, 1972-1975). He is a specialist in Organic, Environmental and Industrial chemistry.  Publishing over sixty refereed and commissioned papers, he has written extensively on the role of Higher Education, Chemistry, Science, Technology and Innovation in socio-economic development. 

He has also undertaken consultancies on the environmental impacts of utilizing   various natural resources. His research interest is in discovering and developing appropriate and innovative chemical processes for the conversion of locally available resources into useful products. 

His achievements include: 

Conversion of readily available carbohydrates (sucrose, lactose, fructose and glucose) into furfural, hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) and HMF dimers using DMSO.  These products have proven and potential industrial uses. Munavu’s team were first to report on these DMSO-mediated reactions 

The behaviour of alcohols and diols in the presence of DMSO, dialkylsulphides and bromine. His team were first to report on the synthesis of methylene acetals using diols in the presence of DMSO and bromine. The reaction intermediate, trimethylsulphonium bromide, is now commercially available. 

Extraction, chemical studies, and potential uses of vegetable oils from the seeds of local plants. The oil of Croton megalocarpus, Jatropha and cape Chestnut are now being piloted for production of biodiesel in Kenya.

Ms. Rachel Shibalira

MEMBER

Ms. Rachel Shibalira was appointed a member of the Board on 6th December, 2017. Ms. Shibalira holds Msc in Environmental Planning and Management from Kenyatta University, Bachelor of Law from BabaSaheb Ambedkar University and Diploma in Law from Kenya School Law.   

Ms. Shibalira is a member of Law Society of Kenya and also International Commission of Jurists. She has represented the Government of Kenya in negotiating international conventions and protocols in the area of environment. She has also worked with several countries in the African region helping them define policies and laws on issues of Science and Technology. She has served nationally as a Chairperson of the Biosafety Appeals Board.

Prof. Dickson Andala

Member

Prof. Dickson Andala is a member of the Board by virtue of being the Chief Executive Officer of National Research Fund (NRF). He is an Associate Professor of Materials / Inorganic Chemistry, Multimedia University of Kenya; PhD in Materials Chemistry from Binghamton University and Postdoctoral Fellowship Pennsylvania State University, USA.  He is Lead Expert with NEMA; DOSH and CBRN and a reviewer of several local and international journals. 

Prof. Andala has served in various senior leadership/management positions including having been the Director to the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA), African Materials Research Society (AMRS) boards, Executive Committee Member to Africa Crystallographic Association (AfCA); Chairman Chemistry Department, Multimedia University of Kenya. Membership to various Professional Associations including African Academies of Science (AAS), Kenya National Academy of Sciences (KNAS); Materials Research Society of Kenya, Kenya Chemical Society (KCS).  He is endowed with vast experience in research/scholarly work, as evidenced by extensive publications in peer reviewed journals, several awards and research grants mobilization, keynote lectures and conference papers, and supervision of numerous postgraduate students. His research interests lie in the area of nanoscience and nanotechnology and its applications in remediation, sensors, catalysis.

Dr. Tonny Omwansa PhD

Member

Dr. Tonny K. Omwansa is a member of the Board by virtue of being the Chief Executive Officer of Kenya National Innovation Agency (KENIA). He is the co-author of “Money, Real Quick: Kenya’s disruptive mobile money innovation”. He holds a PhD in Information Systems in which he researched on the adoption of mobile financial services at the base of the pyramid in Kenya.

Besides consultancy in technology issues, he has conducted extensive research in mobile transactions in Africa and published various reports including use of airtime transfers, mobile banking, virtual currencies as well as regulation of mobile transactions. His research interests are in the design, adoption and impact of low-cost technologies in developing countries.

His various research assignments have been commissioned by organizations like the GSMA, Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Economic Commission of Africa. He is a recipient of the prestigious Bellagio Fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation where he worked on the book on mobile money, published in 2012.

Prof. Francis W. Muregi, PhD

Member

Prof. Francis Wamakima Muregi was appointed a member of the Board on 6th December, 2017. He is a PhD holder in medical sciences from Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, a Master of Science, Biochemistry (Biotechnology Option) and BSc. Biochemistry/Chemistry from Kenyatta University.   

Prof. Muregi has worked at Kenya Medical Research Institute for more than 10 years. He is currently the Director for Research and Development at Mount Kenya University. He is also serving as a member of the Social and Human Sciences Programme and Expert Committee of Kenya National Commission for UNESCO (KNATCOM).

Dr. Indeje Wanyama

Member

Dr. Indeje Wanyama was appointed a member of the Board on 24th November, 2021.  He is a skilled finance professional with more than 10 years of corporate finance and management. The finance guru has a PhD in Management Science, having studied in Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. Further, he holds an MSc in Economic Policy Analysis from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, has a BA (Economics) and is a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya.

Dr. Wanyama is an expert in financial systems development, fiscal management and financial reporting, with proven record of developing and implementing financial and operational controls. He’s knowledgeable in application of economic principles and procedures for analyzing financial information in relation to supply and demand, investment, industrial productivity, taxes, among other policy related issues.

The seasoned professional started out as an Economist/Planning Officer in the Ministry of Education, and rose to become Deputy Director –Financial and Sectoral Affairs Department in the Ministry of Finance/The National Treasury. He previously served as Deputy Chief Finance Officer at the State Department of Livestock for two years; Assistant Director of Budget-Budgetary Supply Department in the Ministry of Finance/The National Treasury for a period of six years; and as Senior Finance Officer in the Ministry of Finance-Budgetary Supply Department for five years.

He has worked as a lecturer at the United States International University, and was a Lead Consultant in the development of the Strategic Plan for the Office of the Controller of Budget 2012-17, and in the recruitment of staff for the same office. Other key accomplishments include preparation of Strategic Plan for the Ministry of Water and Irrigation for the Government of Southern Sudan.

Dr. Wanyama has also authored and co-authored research publications in finance and policy related areas. Other special assignments include his appointment as a member of Inter-Ministerial Task Force responsible for organizing the United Nations Public Service day. He was also a member of secretariat of Public Administration Sector Working Group (PA SWG). The PA SWG, outlines sectoral policy priorities for the Public Administration Sector, and gives the budgetary estimates to be included in the overall Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the annual budget.

Dr. Wanyama was also a representative on Inter-Ministerial Committee, Design and Development of Border Control Points for the Ministry of Finance, 2006.

Prof. Walter O. Oyawa PhD

MEMBER/SECRETARY

Prof. Walter O. Oyawa, is currently the Director General of the National Commission for Science, Technology & Innovation (NACOSTI). He is a Professor of Civil Engineering, a holder of a PhD in Civil Engineering, and a holder of Executive MBA. He is a Registered Professional Engineer, a Lead Expert-NEMA and a reviewer of several international journals.   

In addition to his current position as Director General of NACOSTI, Prof. Oyawa has served in various senior leadership/management positions including having been the Principal/CEO of Multimedia University College, Deputy Commission Secretary at the Commission for University Education (CUE), pioneering Ag. Principal of the College of Engineering & Technology at JKUAT, Director of a Research Centre-SMARTEC at JKUAT, Chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering at JKUAT, Board member of several boards, among others. He is endowed with vast experience in research/scholarly work, as evidenced by; extensive publications in peer reviewed journals, several awards and research grants, keynote lectures and conference papers, and supervision of numerous postgraduate students. His research interest is in the area of sustainable construction materials and technologies.