Prof. Walter O. Oyawa, is currently the Director General of the National Commission for Science, Technology & Innovation (NACOSTI). He is a Professor of Civil Engineering, a holder of a PhD in Civil Engineering, and a holder of Executive MBA. He is a Registered Professional Engineer, a Lead Expert-NEMA and a reviewer of several international journals.

In addition to his current position as Director General of NACOSTI, Prof. Oyawa has served in various senior leadership/management positions including having been the Principal/CEO of Multimedia University College, Deputy Commission Secretary at the Commission for University Education (CUE), pioneering Ag. Principal of the College of Engineering & Technology at JKUAT, Director of a Research Centre-SMARTEC at JKUAT, Chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering at JKUAT, Board member of several boards, among others. He is endowed with vast experience in research/scholarly work, as evidenced by; extensive publications in peer reviewed journals, several awards and research grants, keynote lectures and conference papers, and supervision of numerous postgraduate students. His research interest is in the area of sustainable construction materials and technologies.