Joel Onditi named to NACOSTI board

Joel Onditi has been appointed to the board of Kenya’s National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation, according to an official Gazette notice dated August 28, 2026. The notice names Onditi as one of three new board members and says the appointments took effect on August 28 for a three-year term. The appointment surfaced more widely on September 8 after the Science Media Workshop Nairobi account posted on X that Onditi had joined the NACOSTI board and linked readers to NACOSTI contact details. A separate report by Startup Kenya described Onditi as a technology and public-sector innovation executive with more than 20 years of experience across Africa and the United States. (kenyalaw.org) ### Which official record confirms the appointment? The Kenya Gazette dated August 28, 2026 lists “Davidson M. Mwaisaka, Michael N. Walekhwa (Dr.), Joel Onditi” as members of the board of the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation. The notice says the three were appointed “for a term of three (3) years, with effect from the 28th August, 2026.” (startupkenya.io) Musalia Mudavadi signed the Gazette notice in his capacity as the responsible cabinet secretary, according to the published record. Kenyan news sites that summarized the same Gazette notices also reported Onditi’s appointment as part of a broader round of state board changes. ### Who was appointed with Onditi? The same Gazette notice names Davidson M. Mwaisaka and Dr. (kenyalaw.org) Michael N. Walekhwa alongside Onditi. The three were appointed together as members of the NACOSTI board, with the same effective date and term length. Vellum Kenya’s roundup of the week-ended August 28 reproduced the appointment details and placed the NACOSTI notice under the Science, Technology and Innovation Act. (kenyalaw.org) That roundup also noted the appointments were effective immediately from August 28. ### What does NACOSTI do? NACOSTI is Kenya’s National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation, the state body that oversees parts of the country’s science, research and innovation framework. (kenyalaw.org) NACOSTI’s website and affiliated ethics portal describe roles that include research oversight, accreditation of ethics review structures and broader science governance functions. NACOSTI also runs the Online Research Information Management System, or ORIS, which researchers use in its administrative processes. (vellum.co.ke) The commission’s web presence includes contact channels and program pages that the September 8 social-media post directed stakeholders to use. ### Why did the appointment draw attention in Kenya’s research community? The September 8 X post framed Onditi’s appointment as part of efforts to advance science and innovation in Kenya. (nacosti.go.ke) Startup Kenya, in its August 31 report, said Onditi’s background includes technology, digital transformation and innovation work in both public and private settings. (oris.nacosti.go.ke) The available official record does not spell out Onditi’s specific board portfolio or committee assignment. What it does establish is the legal fact of the appointment, the names of the other appointees and the start date of the term. ### What happens next? The three-year term for Joel Onditi, Davidson M. Mwaisaka and Dr. Michael N. Walekhwa began on August 28, 2026, according to the Gazette notice. (startupkenya.io) NACOSTI’s website remains the main public source for commission contacts, research systems and notices tied to upcoming meetings and stakeholder engagement. (kenyalaw.org)