Kentice Tikolo
Kentice Libutsuli Tikolo is a Kenyan communication professional, strategic public relations expert, teacher, scientist, mentor and sports enthusiast. She is the Founder and Managing Director of Cause Impact Limited, a Nairobi-based strategic communication consultancy and Kusudi Cause Communication Trust, a non-profit that seeks to leverage strategic communication in advocating for causes. Throughout her career, she has been recognised for her leadership in public relations, her contributions to social-impact initiatives in Kenya and her pioneering role in sports governance.
Early life and education
Tikolo’s early schooling included attendance at Loreto High School, Limuru and Alliance Girls High School between approximately 1977 and 1983.She later earned a Bachelor of Education degree in Botany and Zoology from Kenyatta University. She holds a Master of Science in Public Relations from the University of Stirling in Scotland. As of the latest publicly available information, she is pursuing a PhD in Climate Change and Adaptation at the University of Nairobi.
Career
Scientist and early career in research & administration
Before moving fully into strategic communication management, Kentice worked in research-administrative roles in multicultural and international settings. She had some 10 years of experience in research, administrative and management roles, including work at the International Livestock Research Institute and its predecessor, the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases.Transition to communication & public relations
Tikolo made a deliberate transition into communication and public relations. In an interview, she stated that the move was prompted by a senior advisor who saw in her the aptitude for PR, stemming from her earlier role as Dean of Students at the Aga Khan Academy. The Comms AvenueShe rose to senior roles in the communication field. For example, she served as Head of Corporate Communication at the Kenya Wildlife Service, where she produced a strategic plan for 2008–2012 and the 2007 Annual Report that won the top prize at the Public Relations Society of Kenya annual awards.
Entrepreneurship: founding Cause Impact Limited
In the consultancy phase of her career, Tikolo founded Cause Impact Limited. The agency is described as a research-driven, strategic public relations and communication management firm based in Nairobi.As Managing Director, Tikolo oversees the firm’s vision, talent development, and client strategy. She emphasises blending the “science and art” of communication. The Comms Avenue. Her firm has worked in numerous sectors, including public health, transport safety, environment, and development communication, with clients such as the National Transport Safety Authority, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, and in integrated coastal zone management programmes. Centrifugal Electric
Academic and mentoring roles
Tikolo has served as a lecturer in strategic public relations and communication management at the University of Nairobi. She is active as a mentor and coach in the communication field, especially guiding younger professionals. An opinion piece described her as a key mentor for women in PR and communication in Kenya.She is also associated with the Kusudi Cause Communication Trust, a trust she founded to work on causes such as air pollution, sexuality education, mentorship of adolescents and “Adopt a School” initiatives.
Sports and governance leadership
Tikolo has a longstanding involvement in sports, as a competitor, administrator and governance figure.- During her school and university years, she participated in hockey, basketball, volleyball, lawn tennis and athletics, representing her school at the national level.
- She comes from a family with a sporting heritage; her father trained as a sports teacher and played in the Gossage Cup with the late football legend Joe Kadenge.
- In 2020, she was appointed Chair of the Football Kenya Federation Electoral Board, making her the first woman in Kenya to chair a board overseeing men’s football elections.
- * In this role, she emphasised “genuine polls” and oversight of county and national elections within the federation.
- An opinion piece in December 2020 described her as challenging the status quo and advocating for women’s visibility in sports administration.
Social-impact campaigns & public-health communication
Tikolo has been recognised for her role in social-impact communication in Kenya.- One of the campaigns attributed to her initiative is the Beyond Zero campaign of the First Lady of Kenya—an initiative to reduce maternal and child mortality that utilised mobile clinics handed to counties.
- She has been involved in training and facilitating communication programmes for organisations such as the International Development Research Centre, the International Cancer Institute, UNICEF, UNDP and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Centrifugal Electric
- Her work reflects a focus on research-informed communication strategies, stakeholder mapping, and metrics in campaigns.
Awards and honours
- She has been conferred the Kenyan government honour of Order of the Grand Warrior , in recognition of her service.
- She holds the status of Fellow of the Public Relations Society of Kenya, which recognises a high contribution to the profession.
- She won the Golden Honours Award for excellence in advancing public relations in 2008.
- She received a silver medal from the Government of Ethiopia for her role in coordinating an earlier edition of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa conference.
Boards
Kentice Tikolo has held influential positions on several boards across public relations, communications, governance, and social development sectors. Her board memberships include:- Member of the Africa Education and Environment Foundation, which supports education and environmental causes in Kenya.
- Member of the Professional Institute of Leadership and Advisory Excellence, providing leadership and advisory expertise in Kenya.
- Member of the Africa Digna Kenya Board, which administers scholarships for bright, needy students, including those from her alma mater, Loreto High School, Limuru.
- Fellow and past Chair of the Public Relations Society of Kenya, where she led professionalisation and capacity-building efforts for the PR industry in Kenya.
- Former Board member of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, representing Africa and advancing global PR standards and networks.
- Former Director at the Communications Authority of Kenya, contributing to regulatory oversight and communication governance from 2016-2022.
Selected publications and thought leadership
Tikolo has written and contributed to various influential works on public relations professionalism, strategic communication, and social impact advocacy. Her contributions include:- Co-author of Proactive PR, a public relations management book, Moran Publishers.
- Authored a chapter in an international academic textbook – Pitch, Tweet or Engage on the Street: How to Practice Global Public Relations and Strategic Communication, 2016, by Kara Alaimo.Porini: Wildlife News, a KWS Newsletter
- Founder and editor of The East African Aviator magazine for the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority
- Editor of the E-News, the KWS in-house online newsletter
- Co-ordinated production of various Annual reports
- Commissioned, coordinated and managed Bill Bryson’s tour, which he used to write The African Diary, a resource mobilisation product for CARE International.
- Participated in the production of two manuals in CARE as follows:
- * Gender Mainstreaming for Project Managers, by CARE International, 2003.
- * Participatory Capacity Assessment: A Tool for Organisational Development, by CARE International.
- * Sileghem, M., Tikolo, K., Ellis, J., “Secretion of tumour necrosis factor by monocytes from cattle infected with T. vivax and T. congolense”, Immunology,.
- Acknowledged for technical support in several publications at ILRAD.
- Founded the Utafiti Newsletter, The Lens, and the ILRAD Staff Newsletter.
Personal life and other interests
Tikolo is often described as a mentor, coach and advocate for younger professionals—especially women in communication and sports administration. She emphasises equality, fairness and justice in her professional and personal outlook.Details about her private life are less prominent in public sources, respecting biographical privacy norms.