Contact Details

Department of Journalism and Mass Communication

School of Arts and Social Sciences (SASS) - MMUST

P.O. Box 190-50100

Kakamega, KENYA

Kakamega-Webuye Road.

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0702-6337

ResearcherID: 

Google Scholar:https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=QuHZdbwAAAAJ

Dr.Nancy Gakahu

Dr. Nancy Gakahu is a Lecturer of  Media and Communication at Masinde Muliro University, Kenya, and an alumnus of the prestigious Commonwealth Doctoral Fellowship in the UK. She holds a PhD in Gendered Digital Political Communication from the University of Leeds in the UK, Master of Philosophy in Communication Studies, Post Graduate Diploma in Public Relations and Strategic Communication, and a Bachelor of Education in English and Literature. 

With over fifteen years of experience in higher education, Dr Gakahu is a reviewer of high-profile academic journals including the Visual Communication Quarterly, Information, Communication and Society; as well as the African Journalism Studies, all under the Taylor and Francis Group, Routledge. She is member of several professional organizations including the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT), Forum for Association of Women Educationalists  (FAWE), British Institute in East Africa (BIEA), International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) and the Academic Association of the United Nations System (ACUNS). She actively mentors, teaches and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students in Media and Communication, and has contributed to postgraduate training through thesis committees and examination panels.She has also participated in departmental curriculum development through module reviews and the design of new courses, including a short professional programme in Digital Media Masterclass: Creation, Virality and Monetization. 

Beyond teaching and research, Dr. Gakahu has contributed to institutional leadership and academic development. She serves as the School Coordinator for Online, Distance, and E-Learning (ODEL) in the School of Arts and Social Sciences, and as Examinations Coordinator in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. She has also supported the internationalisation of the university through collaborations that has facilitated student exchange programmes between Masinde Muliro University and partner universities in Romania and China, helping expand global learning opportunities for students.

Her research sits at the intersection of digital media, networked communication systems, and emerging technologies, with a focus on how these transformations shape communication, knowledge, and participation in contemporary African society.

Some of her key published works include: 

1. Gakahu, N. 2025. Populist Tendencies in Kenya’s Political Representation Practice: Digital and Discursive Dimensions. Journal of Research and Academic Writing, 2(2),134-143. Utafiti Foundation. https://utafitionline.com/index.php/JRAW/article/view/1321
2. Gakahu, N. 2025. Women Politicians’ Political Communication Strategies in Kenya’s Digital Space: An Afrocentric Perspective. Journal of Linguistics, Literary and Communication Studies, 4(2), 119–131. Utafiti Foundation. https://doi.org/10.58721/jllcs.v4i2.1316
3. Gakahu, N. 2024.Image-Centrism in Africa’s Political Communication: A Social Semiotics Analysis of Self-Presentation Practices by Women Political Candidates in Kenya’s Social Media Space. Information, Communication, and Society, Issue 27 Vol 8, 1-25, Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2343367
4. Gakahu, N and Kaguta, R.J.N. 2011. “The Social Implications of a Global Culture to Africa: Kenya’s Case”. In the Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development. Vol 2. No.4. Pp 163-170. ISSN 2222-2855
5. Gakahu, N. and Kaguta,R.N.J. 2011. Communicating HIV/AIDS among Students in Kenya’s Institutions of Higher learning: A Challenge of the 21st Century. In the Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development. Vol 2. No.4. Pp 171-174. ISSN 2222-2855
6. Gakahu, N. (2011) “Sexual Violence and Gender Inequality”. In Afer. Vol 52, No.4 and Vol 53, No. 1 Pp 219 -230 ISSN 0250-4560
7. Gakahu, N. 2010. “The Role of Broadcast Media in Behaviour Change and HIV/AIDS Communication to the Youth: A Focus on Kenya’s Music Industry. In Journal of Media and Communication Studies, Vol 2(7), pp 154-158.August 2010. ISSN 2141-2545@2010 Academic Journals.
8. Gakahu, N. and Lusike, L.M. 2007 “Women’s Pages” in Kenya’s Mainstream Newspapers: Implications on the Country’s Development. In Gender and Development, Vol. 15 No. 3, Pp 425 – 435. Great Britain: Taylor and Francis.
9. Gakahu, N.W. 2006.The Hidden Curriculum: The Psychological Chain for Disempowering Female Students in Kenyan Universities. In The Role of Universities in the Attainment of Millennium Development Goals. Chapter 12, Pp.108 – 113. Nairobi: Kenyatta University

View Full CV here: