Prof Isaac Odeo is the first and a long-serving Vice Chancellor of Kibabii University (KIBU), having held the position since 2016.
Prior to his appointment in 2016, he served as Acting Vice Chancellor and the Principal of Kibabii University College from 2013.
Isaac is a professor of Kiswahili at Kibabii with a focus on Kiswahili language and literature education, with over 30 years of teaching experience at institutions of higher learning.
Additionally, he has taught and conducted research in pedagogy, translation, oral literature, language contact phenomena, language and new communication technologies, and sociolinguistics and higher education.
Isaac holds a bachelor’s degree in education (Arts) from the University of Nairobi (UoN), a master’s in education (Arts) from Kenyatta University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Moi University.
Isaac Odeo Career Background
He began his career as a teacher and deputy headmaster at Nyaroha Girls and Kemeloi Secondary Schools.
From 1978 to 1988, he taught at Siriba and Kaimosi Teachers’ Training Colleges as a tutor and lecturer.
Isaac Odeo later joined Moi University, where he served as a lecturer and tutorial fellow in the Department of Educational Communication and Technology for 15 years.
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Isaac Odeo has served as a consultant for several organizations, including the Kenya Red Cross Society, and has been actively involved in language development associations such as Chama cha Kiswahili cha Taifa (CHAKITA) and Chama cha Kiswahili cha Afrika Mashariki (CHAKAMA).
Between 2007 and 2011, he served as both Vice Chairman and Chairman of the two associations.
In 2013, Isaac served as the Principal of Kibabii University College, and after the institution transitioned to a full university, he was appointed as the acting Vice Chancellor in 2015.
Prior to joining Kibabii, he held academic leadership positions at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, including serving as Chair of the Department of Language and Literature Education and as Director of the School of Open Learning and Continuing Education.
Achievements
He oversaw the graduation of the university’s first Bachelor of Science in Nursing cohort and the first PhD class in Kiswahili.
As a VC, Isaac has overseen the signing of the collaborative agreements to establish a Drone Innovation Hub and launch training in Blockchain and Web 3.0.
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In 2023, he received the Vice Chancellor of the Year Award at the Champions of Governance (COG) Awards.
Isaac Odeo has also secured significant research funding from the European Union and the National Research Fund (NRF) to establish KIBU as an ICT Hub.
Under his leadership, KIBU has graduated over 12,000 alumni and established specialized units, including the School of Nursing and an Innovation and Incubation Hub.
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