User:Queenter Mbori/AkinyiOdongo

Akinyo Odongo O.G.W is a Kenyan fashion businesswoman and fashion designer. She is the Executive Board Chair of the Kenya Fashion Council.

Akinyo Odongo is the CEO and Founder of Mefa Institute of Design and Wana-Watindo Fashion School for kids and teens aged between 6 to 17 years. Wana-Watindo was established in 2010 to help nurture the entrepreneurial journey of children through talent.

In parallel to this, Akinyi founded Fashion Agenda Africa in 2013 to build, support and empower young and passionate fashion professionals. .

Mefa Institute of Design was established in 2002 while Akinyi was still in college. The institution has been shortlisted by the Export Promotion Council (EPC) to produce and market products for export.

On February 10, 2023, Akinyi was appointed by Kenya's Ministry of Youth Affairs, Sports, and the Arts as a member of the Talanta Hela Council in the Creative Technical Committee. The committee chaired by Daniel Ndambuki (Churchill), is tasked with managing the National Creatives Awards, monetizing the creatives sector and implementing the National Creatives Economy Plan.

Akinyi is a certified Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) expert, with the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) and the International Labour Organization. She was involved in the development of learning tools for the textile and fashion industry in Kenya through the National National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) .

As a fashion designer, she has worked with Kenya’s former First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta, and Hon Martha Karua.

Background
Akinyo Odongo went to St. Francis Rang’ala Girls High School in Siaya County, Kenya. While in school she excelled in extracurricular activities such as dancing, acting, singing, and painting at a time when artistic creativity was sidelined in the curriculum. Despite the setbacks, Akinyi credits her mother and Arts teacher at St Francis Rang’ala Girls High School, Ms. Dorcas Okoyo for giving her hope.

Family
Akinyi Odongo was born and raised in Rang'ala village in Siaya County, Kenya. Her mother Ms. Angeline Odongo was a tailor and her father was a secondary school bursar. The mother of two sons and a daughter is also married.

Awards
In 2014 Akinyo Odongo received the Ethical Leadership Network (ELNET) Business Leader Ethics Award.

In July 2022, Akinyi she was awarded by former President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, Order of Grand Warrior (OGW) for her contribution to the Kenyan fashion industry, leading to the formation of the Kenya Fashion Council, and promoting rights and recognition of the creative industry.

She has also been a recipient of the American-based I Change Nations Award (ICN) as a result of influencing transformation and recognition of talents.