African Leadership Academy alumnus Eddy Gicheru Oketch ’08 won the race for Senator of Migori County in the recent parliamentary elections in Kenya.
Oketch was a part of the inaugural class at the academy and has been a lifelong activist. His victory comes after decades of public work, including working with 11,000 youth to foster peace following the violent 2008 elections, through his Peace for African and Economic Development (PAD) movement. He joined ALA after that remarkable achievement, before going on to obtain a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College-Hartford, and a master’s degree from Yale University.
His life’s trajectory, from being one of the very first ALA students we had, to studying overseas and then returning to make an impact back home at Migori County, is an encapsulation of the mission that ALA has set for itself: to produce the next generation of ethical and entrepreneurial African leaders.
“Eddy Oketch has been deeply passionate about the issues facing Kenyans since his arrival at African Leadership Academy as a member of our Inaugural Class in 2008. He has always sought to take action, dedicating his career to serving Kenyan youth and the people of Migori county, and we celebrate his election as Senator on this day. Eddy knows that there is much hard work ahead as he serves the people of Migori and Kenya. We look forward to sharing in his journey,” says ALA Founder Chris Bradford.
Oketch was of late the Chief Executive Officer of Anywair Group, a lender of capital goods to small businesses and households, and also a founder of Ongoza, a youth empowerment movement which grew out of PAD.
Read more on the African Leadership Academy blog.
About African Leadership Academy
The African Leadership Academy is a pre-university in Johannesburg, South Africa. We seek to develop Africa’s next generation of leaders who are ethical and entrepreneurial. Each year, we identify exceptional young leaders from across Africa with demonstrated leadership potential and a strong sense of purpose. Through our unique curriculum, these young leaders develop the skills, mindset, and network to contribute to our mission of enabling lasting peace and shared prosperity in Africa. We continue to accelerate these leaders throughout their lives, with connections to careers and networks of people and capital that will enable their dreams of transformational change. ALA teaches a two-year curriculum in African Studies, Writing and Rhetoric and Entrepreneurial Leadership, as well as the usual core academic courses. We have accepted students and alumni from 46 African countries since founding in September 2008 into our growing community.
