Professor Fredrick Owino is a scholar, research professional and a senior consultant. He holds a Ph.D. in forestry from North Carolina State University (USA), a Hons degree in Biology from the University of Nairobi, and a Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from the University of Helsinki (Finland) in recognition of pioneering professional forestry education in Kenya.

He has over 40 years of global work experience and thrives at steering board oversight, driving implementation monitoring, spearheading policy development and project planning, and driving organizations’ strategic direction.

Owing to his outstanding expertise, Professor Owino has chaired numerous boards which includes, but not limited to, the East Africa Wildlife Society, African Forest Forum, and the Mau Forest Complex Task Force by the Office of the Prime Minister in Kenya. He was Vice-President of the Board for the International Society of Tropical Foresters and served as a Board member of the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI).

He also served as Commissioner of the Kenya Permanent Presidential Commission Soil Conservation & Afforestation and was a pioneering member of the African Forest Forum.
Professor Owino, has consulted for various governments and organizations across Africa. Until recently, he was both a Senior Consultant in the Practitioner Training on Evidence-based Policy Making by the African Academy of Sciences and a major contributor to the National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA) for the African Forest Forum.

He has served as a Technical Advisor to both the African Forest Forum and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Professor Owino’s further experiences span academia, the public sector, the United Nations, and non-profit organizations. He has worked as: Associate Professor (Moi University), Forestry Policy Advisor (South Sudan Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry), Team Leader of Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda (ISAR), Managing Director of Forest Resources International (FORIN), and as a Senior Scientist for the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF). Currently, Professor Owino is both a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, an Honorary Fellow of the Society of American Foresters and patron of the Kenya Forestry Society.

H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed Professor Owino to chair the ICT Authority Board of Directors with effect from 8th October 2021.