Professor Charles Ochieng’ Ong’ondo is the incumbent Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) – a state parastatal mandated with overseeing the country’s basic education landscape.
Dr Ong’ondo was appointed to the role on September 25, 2020, by the late former Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha. He was selected following a rigorous exercise that sought a professional with post-graduate education and over 10 years of experience in management in an education or related field.
The former Moi University lecturer took charge of KICD on a five-year renewable term that concludes in September 2025.
Education
Prof. Charles Ochieng’ Ong’ondo is an Associate Professor in Teacher Education. He is a Commonwealth Academic Fellow and Scholar who holds a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Research Methodology (University Warwick, UK) and a PhD in English Language Teacher Education (the University of Leeds, UK).
He also holds an M.Phil. Degree in English Language Education (Moi University, Kenya), a B.Ed. Degree in English and Literature (Moi University), and a Diploma in Education (Siriba Teachers College – Kenya).
His academic interests are: Research Methodology (with special interest in Qualitative research); Teacher Education (with keen attention to the Practicum); English Language Pedagogy (at School, Tertiary and University levels); Training of Trainers; Curriculum/Programme/Course Design and Evaluation; Academic Writing and Organizational Communication.
Career
Before he joined KICD, Prof. Ong’ondo was a Teacher Educator in English Language Teacher Education in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Educational Media (CIEM) in the School of Education at Moi University – Kenya.
He worked at Moi University for Sixteen years – rising from the level of Assistant Lecturer in 2004, through the ranks of Lecturer and Senior Lecturer to Associate Professor.
Prior to joining the university as a lecturer, Charles had had Thirteen years of experience as a teacher of English Language and Literature in English at the secondary school level in Kenya.
While at Moi University, Prof. Ong’ondo served as the Executive Director of the African Network for Internationalization of Education (ANIE) for more than three years. ANIE is a Pan-African organization committed to the advancement of high-quality research, advocacy, capacity building, information sharing, and transnational networking on the internationalization of education with a prime focus on Africa.
ANIE aims to enable African educational institutions and development stakeholders to take optimal advantage of the opportunities presented by internationalization.
ANIE has its Secretariat at the Margaret Thatcher Library, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya Prof. Ong’ondo also served as the Head of the Department of Communication Studies, for Six years (2011-2017) and School Examinations and Timetables Coordinator (2009-2011).
He also served as acting Dean of the School of Information Sciences and School of Human Resource Development on a number of occasions. While serving in these capacities and in his role as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer, he participated in the development and review of curricula and academic programmes.
The KICD boss has supervised to completion 15 PhD students and 20 M.Sc. students and also examined more than 30 theses. He also served as an external examiner for a number of Universities in Kenya and other countries in Africa.
Prof. Charles Ochieng’ Ong’ondo has (alone and jointly) published widely (Seven books, Six book chapters and more than 30 journal articles in refereed journals) in English Language Teacher Education, Research Methodology and Communication Studies.
One of his co-authored books – Qualitative research: An Introduction to principles and techniques – is being used as a reference by many postgraduate students in Universities in Kenya and beyond:
He also serves as a reviewer for a number of international journals.
Prof. Ong’ondo has been a principal researcher in multi-national and international educational research on Building PhD Capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa funded by the British Council and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and Strengthening Education Mentoring Systems in Africa (SEMESA) from 2015 to 2017, funded by Agha- Khan Foundation.
He has also been a research consultant for institutions outside the University, for nationwide studies which have been successfully concluded and presented to the relevant organizations.
These include a Pilot study on Community Service Learning (CSL) in Kenya (KICD, 2018/2019). Needs analysis for curriculum reform in Teacher Education in Kenya (KICD, 2017); and Needs Analysis for curriculum Reform in Kenya (KICD, 2016); Use of ethnic stereotypes and coded language in Kenya by National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC, 2012);
He has also facilitated several research and leadership workshops at Moi University and in a number of Universities in Kenya.
Memberships & Interests
Prof. Charles Ochieng’ Ong’ondo is a member of the African Network for Internationalization of Education (ANIE), the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL), the Language Association of Eastern Africa (LAEA) and founder member and official – Kenya Association of English Language Educators and Researchers (ASELER).
He is also a member of the Kenya Association of Educational Administration and Management (KAEAM).
He has organized, attended and officiated in and presented papers in a number of international conferences, seminars and workshops.
Prof. Ong’ondo has actively participated in Community Service: First as founder (and current) Chairman of the Board of Management at God Kado Mixed Secondary School; Member of the Board of Management at Bishop Okullu Magare Girls Secondary School; and also served as Guest of Honour/Keynote Speaker/Facilitator in a number of County or School Education Days and Principals’ Conferences.
He has also facilitated and adjudicated a number of national and regional workshops and festivals for the Kenya National Schools and Colleges Drama and Film Festival (KNDFF) and the Kenya Music Festival (KMF).
Since June 21st, 2019, Prof. Ong’ondo has been a member of the Task force on Access, Relevance, Transition, Equity and Quality for Effective Curriculum Reforms Implementation in Kenya.
