Former Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has formally written to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba proposing that the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) be renamed Raila Odinga Technical University, in honour of the late former Prime Minister’s contributions to technical education.
Kuria made the proposal on Friday, October 17, 2025, arguing that Raila Odinga’s lifelong commitment to technical and engineering education deserves national recognition.
In a post on X, Kuria said if he were Education CS, he would “do it straight away,” describing Odinga as “an ardent believer in technical education since his days at Madelberg College in Germany.”
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Before joining politics, Odinga was a lecturer at the University of Nairobi’s School of Engineering between 1970 and 1974, after earning a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Magdeburg in East Germany.
He later worked at the Kenya Bureau of Standards, rising to Deputy Director in 1978, and also founded East African Spectre Ltd., a gas cylinder manufacturing firm.
The Technical University of Kenya, formerly the Kenya Polytechnic, once served as the engineering wing of the University of Nairobi, an institution where Odinga taught early in his career. Kuria said this historical link makes TUK a fitting institution to bear his name.
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Renaming a public university in Kenya requires approval from the Education Cabinet Secretary and subsequent government endorsement.
While Kuria’s request has been received by CS Ogamba, the ministry has not indicated when or whether a decision will be made.
The proposal is expected to spark national debate, given Odinga’s political legacy and the symbolic weight of naming a leading technical institution after him.
By Mercy Kokwon
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