Moses Oketch

Professor Moses Oketch is a leading academic in international education policy and development, currently serving as Head of the Department of Education, Practice and Society at UCL Institute of Education (IOE). His work focuses on the intersection of human capital theory and policy implementation in sub-Saharan Africa, emphasizing the gap between theoretical frameworks and real-world policy effectiveness. Oketch holds a PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has held positions at Vanderbilt University and the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), where he mentored researchers. He has authored over 100 papers, presented at 100+ conferences, and advised policymakers in Kenya and beyond.

Key research interests include the economics of education, policy analysis, and impact evaluation, particularly addressing why human capital investments have not yielded expected economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. Teaching passions include working with students from diverse global backgrounds, enriching his own understanding of localized educational challenges. Notable achievements include initiating an MA program at IOE, serving on the CIES Board, and contributing to the FCDO as a Senior Research Fellow. His work often critiques scalable policy solutions and advocates for context-sensitive approaches to education reform.

He has served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Hiroshima University, reflecting his global academic engagement. Oketch also emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning in Africa and has engaged media platforms to discuss education issues in Kenya and beyond. His research spans Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Botswana, with fluency in Kiswahili enhancing his fieldwork capabilities.