Abigael Cheruto Bowen

Second cohort of the African Fellowships for Research in Indigenous and Alternative Knowledges / Deuxième cohorte du programme de Bourses africaines pour la recherche sur les savoirs autochtones et alternatifs (AFRIAK) .

Affliation: Rift Valley National Polytechnic (RVNP), located in Nakuru, Kenya

Discipline: Echnology Education – Building and Construction Technology

Country / Pays: Kenya

Project Title / Titre du projet: Mapping Indigenous Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Kenya: A Comparative Study for Integrating Informal IK-Based Livelihoods into the National TVET Curriculum

Biographie / Biography: I hold a Bachelor of Education (Technology Education – Building and Construction Technology) from the University of Eldoret, Kenya (2014-2018), awarded Second Class Honours (Lower Division). My training integrated technical building and construction skills with professional teacher education, including Curriculum Development, Educational Research, Educational Measurement and Evaluation, Philosophy of Education, General Methods of Teaching, Sociology of Education, Educational Administration and Management, and Special Methods in Technology Education. I also completed my Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) at Butere Girls High School in 2013, attaining a B (Plain) grade. This combination of technical expertise and pedagogical training has equipped me with the foundational knowledge to design competency-based curricula, conduct educational research, and integrate diverse knowledge systems into formal training frameworks skills directly relevant to this fellowship’s focus on integrating indigenous knowledge into TVET curricula.
I am currently affiliated with Rift Valley National Polytechnic (RVNP), located in Nakuru, Kenya. My official work address is P.O Box 7182- 20100 Nakuru, Kenya. RVNP is a leading public TVET institution in Kenya’s Rift Valley region, offering competency-based training across multiple technical sectors. The polytechnic has strong industry collaborations and is actively involved in curriculum development, dual training programmes, and initiatives supporting women in technical education through its WITED chapter, which I currently chair. The institution has also won several awards both locally and internationally.