HE HAS SUCCESSFULLY ESTABLISHED PARTNERSHIPS WITH BIG COMPANIES LIKE IBM AND MICROSOFT
MEET MR. KEVIN OKEMWA – CO-FOUNDER OF BRISK DYNAMICS LIMITED
“To be honest, I almost changed my mind when I first set my foot at Dedan Kimathi University of Technology(DeKUT) because the campus was relatively small by infrastructure. However, I must say that I had the best university life. I made great friends from students, to the lectures and the management. We had one of the best actuarial science curriculums in the country. DeKUT formed me!” – Kevin Okemwa
On 29th May, 2015 Kevin Okemwa graduated with a B. Sc. Actuarial Science degree; a course whose decision to pursue, he says, was informed by his passion for math and real life decision making. “I believed that a strong foundation for critical thinking and ability to deal with risks encapsulates a successful career”- he adds. Okemwa has been working for National Construction Authority and he is a co – founder of Brisk Dynamics Limited; a startup focusing on Big Data and Analytics, Internet of Things and Enterprise Resource Planning. He says his passion for IT started from his interaction with the R Statistical Programming Language. He then established a network to offer analytical solutions for clients in need of data-based insight management solutions. He says that all these eventually formed Brisk Dynamics Limited’s portfolio on Big Data and Analytics.
Okemwa is inspired by creating efficient solutions that make customers happy and he says that his greatest achievement is having satisfied customers. He and his partners have successfully established legacy partnerships with IBM, Microsoft, Citrix and VMware to provide dynamic solutions to their customers. They are currently working on capacity building in block chain technology whilst taking advantage of the initiative by the Government through the Ministry of ICT. “I'm now focusing on block chain technology whose opportunities are countless. It is the next BIG THING that will dictate secure systems with minimal 'middleman' intervention especially in the finance industry and government.” – Okemwa adds.
While at the University, Okemwa served as the Vice Chairman of the students’ leadership body of the University; DeKUTSO. He says that this opportunity nurtured him in leadership and how to deal with various scenarios. Asked how his transition was to the job market having studied at DeKUT, he said it was smooth.
The education environment in Kenya is fast changing with increased level of competition for students’ enrolment and increased regulation and monitoring by the Commission for University Education. There has also been increased concern of unskilled graduates from the Universities hence questioning the quality of Education being offered in the Universities. Unemployment is also a major issue today. Programmes offered at DeKUT are however highly competitive, industry and development focused and the Quality Education that is a key focus of the University involves equipping students with hands on skills and capacity to create knowledge giving them an upper hand in employment and entrepreneurship/ job creation.
