Speakers

Dr. Chrispine Omondi is the Institute Director at KALRO-Sugar Research Institute, located at Kibos, in Kisumu County. He holds a PhD degree in Plant Breeding from the University of Nairobi, MSc degree in Crop Science and BSc degree in Agriculture from the same University. Dr Omondi was seconded to Nzoia Sugar Company by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development as the Managing Director which he completed in April 2023 after two years of service. Dr Omondi served as the Director/CEO of the former Kenya Sugar Research Foundation (KESREF). He also served as Biotechnology Specialist at United States Agency for International Development in Kenya (USAID-Kenya). Prior to these appointments, he also served as the Deputy Director of the former Coffee Research Foundation (CRF). Dr Omondi has trained in Strategic Leadership, Corporate Governance, Change Management, Project Design and Management, Financial and Contractual Procedures of the European Development Fund (EDF) and Programming Foreign Assistance for USAID projects among others. He was awarded a Certificate of Excellence in Public Service Innovation in the 2011 Edition by the government of Kenya. Dr Omondi has published widely in refereed journals and conference/workshop papers. He has supervised many postgraduate students leading to awards of MSc and PhD degrees.

Shadrack Agaki is a seasoned Climate Change and Food System communication Consultant, renowned for his roles as a Researcher, Writer, and Columnist. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in International Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Sociology from the University of Nairobi. With a profound passion for food system transformation, climate change, and diplomacy, he is unwaveringly committed to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Climate Action, Zero Hunger, and Ending Poverty, by 2030. In his pursuit of driving real impact, Shadrack actively engages in influencing the formulation and implementation of effective and efficient food and climate policies at local, regional, continental, and global levels. Leveraging his expertise, he conducts meticulous research, drafts legislative and policy proposals, undertakes civic education and training, and presents public petitions to legislative bodies. He amplifies his voice through compelling opinion pieces published in newspapers and digital platforms, actively participating in critical public forums and social media debates on sustainable food security and climate change. With over 10 years of experience in the legislative and policy environment, Shadrack brings a unique skill set to the table. His strengths encompass political and policy communications, legislative and policy research, relationship building and management, and coordinating public participation efforts. Shadrack's agility as a multichannel communicator, strategic thinker, and adept networker enables him to collaboratively work with individuals and organizations across diverse settings, ensuring desired results and outcomes are achieved. Driven by a profound dedication to transforming Food Systems and addressing Climate Change, Shadrack Agaki actively seeks collaborations and partnerships that will create a lasting difference in the pursuit of a more sustainable and equitable future through impactful storytelling. He takes pride in numerous articles published in newspapers and various digital platforms, focusing on climate change, sustainable food security, and agricultural development.

Kefa Michael Gitau, a Pan Africanist, is a Certified Public Accountant working as a senior finance officer at the Capital Markets Authority, Kenya. He has an MBA in finance from United States International University and an alumni of the IFC-Milken Capital Markets Program at the George Washington University, USA. He is a committee member of the Capital Markets Authority’s Regulatory Sandbox and has been instrumental in navigating the digital space within capital markets. These has been realized by tapping into new technological advancements in finding solutions to facilitate financial inclusion and economic advancement through the capital markets eco system. Kefa was active in developing the risk management framework for the organization and is involved in risk management as a strategic tool in driving for performance. Kefa is a member of the Global Blockchain Business Council and a board member at Public Service Club. He is also a believer in the UN Sustainable Development Goals to allow humanity a dignified life.

Eng. Richard Kanui is the Current Engineering Secretary, Directorate of Agricultural Engineering Services (AES), State Department for Crop Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. Eng. Kanui is a self-motivated Engineer with hands on experience in Agricultural Mechanization, Irrigation, Water Resources Management and Land Resources Management geared towards achieving 100% food and nutrition security. Previously he was the Senior Principal Superintending Engineer/Deputy Director, Irrigation and Drainage Department, Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation (Previously Ministry of Water and Irrigation); Ag. Deputy General Manager, Engineering Services, National Irrigation Authority (Previously National Irrigation Board) among others key position where he has served the country diligently. Eng. Kanui holds a Master of Technology in Irrigation Water Management from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India; a BSc. Degree in Agricultural Engineering from Egerton University, Eldoret, Kenya; and a Post Graduate Diploma in Project Management from Central Institute of Management, India. He is a Registered Consulting Engineer (CE) with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), a Corporate Member at the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK), Vice Chairperson of the Kenya Society of Environmental, Biological and Agricultural Engineers (KeSEBAE) and a National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) Lead Expert.

Wangoru Kihara is a seasoned IT expert with over 14 years experience in systems design and development, project management. He is highly skilled in leveraging information systems and data to provide local solutions to local problems. Wangoru has extensive experience working with international NGOs, the private sector and small-holder farmers and has been at the forefront of deploying local and cutting edge solutions in these sectors. As a co-founder and CEO of Badili Innovations, Wangoru leads a lean and effective team that responds quickly to our client needs and expectations. Wangoru Kihara has a background in Computer Science with a focus on software engineering from Tver State Technical University in Russia. He has pursued management training from Strathmore University and recently completed a data science and machine learning program from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Wangoru is highly published in the field of information systems and more so the application of information systems in Research. He currently leads a donor funded project, LivHealth Kiswahili Corpus, that aims at using AI to empower local marginalised pastoral communities to correctly identify livestock syndromes and get timely interventions from qualified livestock practitioners and also leads the Badili component of the CLIMSEDIS project, a project that aims at using climate data and climate forecasts to help better predict and prepare for infectious diseases outbreaks in the Horn of Africa.Wangoru is a supportive and enthusiastic team player who believes that team work is core to successful delivery of projects.

Has 29 years’ experience in sugar factory operations & maintenance of machinery and equipment. Holds a B Sc degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nairobi and Certificate in Sugar Process Engineering from the Sugar Milling Research Institute (University of KwaZulu-Natal). Joined the sugar industry as a Management Trainee in 1994 and has since worked in various capacities; Shift Superintendent, Maintenance Superintendent, Maintenance Engineer and Engineering Manager. Has been Head of Manufacturing at South Nyanza Sugar Company Ltd for the last 3 years. Has undertaken various trainings locally and abroad, including Productivity Improvement Program for Factories in Osaka, Japan. Has been involved in various factory improvement projects including retrofit of a Light Duty Fibrisor to replace Heavy Duty Knives; planetary gearboxes to replace conventional set of mill speed reducers; couplings with rope couplings to replace of tailbar & boxes, conversion of open gear to closed gearbox drives for horizontal crystallizers, among other factory upgrade programs. Has keen interest in energy conservation and energy efficiency programs in industry.

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Tom is a graduate of Applied Statistics from JKUAT. He heads the Agriculture Statistics Unit and the Digital Transformation Technical Committee at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. He is Kenya's representative to the EAC Statistics Secretariat, the African Commission on Agricultural Statistics (AFCAS), and the Kenya Chapter of the Global Open Data on Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) Mr. Tom Dienya is a Champion for Agricultural sector efficiency through digital transformation. Decisions and policies need to be intelligent and evidence-based with a focus on data and digitalization. Key achievements include:

• The use of data to design and implement Crops Area Yield Index Insurance in Kenya (Kenya is the first African country to run a government-supported national crop insurance program successfully)
• The design and implementation of the Kenya Digital Food Balance Sheet (after a successful run, the EAC partner States have adopted the Digital Food Balance Sheet)