User:Jane Gitau/Kentice Tikolo

Kentice Libutsuli Tikolo is an internationally trained, award-winning communications professional, a facilitator, mentor and coach. She has a unique blend of experience as a scientist, Communications and Public Relations Professional, administrator and sports enthusiast. In sports, she has become the first woman to ever chair a board of a men’s football team. In 2008, Ms. Tikolo was awarded the Golden Honours Award for Excellent Support in Advancing Public Relations Excellence by the Public Relations Society of Kenya. She is the Managing Director of Impact Africa, a strategic PR and Communications company that she founded. She also teaches strategic PR and communications at the University of Nairobi. Early life and education She earned her a Bachelor’s Degree in Education (Botany and Zoology) from Kenyatta University, a Master of Public Relations Degree from Stirling University in Scotland, and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Nairobi. She attended Loreto High School Limuru, Alliance Girls High, Kenyatta University and University of Stirling (Scotland). She played hockey in school (1977 – 1983) and in university (1984 – 1988) and for the Goan Institute in 1988, basketball (1981 - 1982), volleyball (1978 - 1983) and lawn tennis (1977 – 1980). She participated in national tennis tournaments too. She sprinted (1977 – 1980); competed in 200 metres as well as long jump. She represented her school up to national level.

She is the daughter of a sporting father who trained as a sports teacher at the Kenyatta University College and played in the Gossage Cup with the late football legend Joe Kadenge. Her eldest son, Jeffrey Tikolo, is an ardent footballer. He has consecutively won the footballer of the year title/most valuable player in the league, for his university at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Her younger son, Immanuel, is also a passionate footballer. Privileged with the ability to blend her scientific background with the art of Public Relations & Communications, she has grown into a conscientious, hands-on and strategic consultant and manager, excellent at planning and organizing and has planned and executed very high level events at international level.

Career Kentice started her career as an administrator before sidestepping into public relations where she went on to be Head of Corporate Communications for a large state corporation, Kenya Wildlife,  Service. She re-wrote the Kenya Wildlife Service Strategic Plan 2008-2012 for simplicity, as well as the Annual Report. The Annual Report 2007 that she produced for the Kenya Wildlife Service won the top prize at the Public Relations Society Annual Awards of that year. She has also been a part-time lecturer at the United States International University in Nairobi. She worked in the public sector as well as international organizations, including CARE International in Kenya and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), where she specialized in packaging information for diverse audiences using various communication channels such as magazines, websites, intranets, newsletters, reports, brochures and newspaper articles. At ILRIs predecessor organization- International Laboratory for Research on Animals Diseases (ILRAD), she worked as a research technician in Theileria and Trypanosomiasis where she published a paper on theileriosis. During the International Conference on Aids and STIs in Africa (ICASA) Nairobi 2003 Conference, Kentice was seconded by CDC to deputize the scientific coordinator. She was in charge of producing the scientific programme and ensuring its implementation and production of the final report. She planned and managed a subsequent ICASA conference that saw her win a medal from the Ethiopian government.

Beyond Zero Kentice conceptualized and led the team that executed Beyond Zero, the First Lady’s nationwide campaign to end maternal and child mortality in Kenya. The campaign was nominated for three (3) awards in the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK) Excellence Awards in 2014. These were Social Campaign of the Year, Sponsorship Campaign of the Year and Not for Profit Campaign. Using sporting events such as the First Lady Half Marathon and the London Marathon, where the first lady participated, Beyond Zero Campaign saw 14 fully-kitted mobile clinics handed to county governments to boost delivery of services to mothers. The plan was to reach out to all 47 counties as a way of improving the health of women and children.

Subsequently, Mrs Kenyatta was named the United Nations in Kenya Person of the Year 2014 for her efforts to stop preventable maternal and newborn deaths in the country through the Beyond Zero Campaign. She was selected for successfully raising awareness and funds to address the plight of women and children and in need of quality health care. Kentice has gone on to be Chairman of the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK), earning the honour of Fellow, the highest membership category of the society awarded for excellent contribution. She served as Africa’s representative on the board of the Global Alliance for PR & Communication Management.