Patrick Asango Okanga
Dr. Patrick Asango Okanga holds a PhD in Development Studies, with a specialisation in Poverty, Inequality, and Development from St. Paul's University, Kenya. He also earned a Master of Arts in Applied Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Sociology, and Public Administration from Annamalai University, India. He is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Laikipia University, Kenya, where he also had the distinct honour of serving as the founding Head of Department.
Dr. Okanga has played a pivotal role in academic program development, including the design of the Human Resource Training Programme for the MBA and undergraduate levels at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), as well as the PhD curriculum in Development Studies at Mount Kenya University. His research experience includes collaboration with semi-autonomous institutions such as the Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), where he has contributed to studies on poverty, energy, and the impacts of climate change along inland water basins.
His research interests are deeply rooted in social capital, the blue economy, and the experiences of small-scale women pelagic fishers in both inland waters and marine spaces. His groundbreaking research in Homa Bay County, Kenya, explored the role of social capital in the sustainability of small-scale women’s fisheries. He has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and presented his work at international conferences. His current scholarly focus is on developing inclusive frameworks that ensure the participation of traditional small-scale and indigenous fishers, particularly women, in the evolving blue economy. This includes addressing women’s sustainable access to intertidal spaces and pelagic fish resources as a means to enhance food security, nutritional value, and overall livelihoods.
Recent publications:
Rice, E. D., Gondwe, E., Bennett, A. E., Okanga, P. A., Osho-Abdulgafar, N. F., Fakoya, K., ... & Smith, H. (2024). The future of gender research in small-scale fisheries: Priorities and pathways for advancing gender equity. Fish and Fisheries, 25(3), 401–408.
Okanga, P. A. (2025). Leveraging collective action for reinvestment in small-scale fisheries by women in blue economic space of Homa-Bay County, Kenya. African Multidisciplinary Journal of Research, 1(1), 363–385.
Okanga, P. A., & Odek, A. (2024). Fishers' networking as resilience measure of small-scale fisheries by women in Homa-Bay County, Kenya. African Multidisciplinary Journal of Research, 1(1), 164–178.