Kolakaluri Enoch was born into a family with limited financial means to Ramaiah and Veeramma in the small village of Vejandla, located in Guntur district, now part of Andhra Pradesh, India. He pursued higher education at Andhra University, where he earned a BA (Hons) in 1959. While in college, he won first prizes for short story, poetry, and playwriting in annual competitions for three consecutive years, from 1957 to 1959. He later attended Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati, where he obtained his PhD.

He began his career as a faculty member at Andhra University and enjoyed a distinguished career, ultimately becoming the Vice Chancellor of Sri Venkateswara University, the very institution where he earned his doctorate.

As a member of a backward community, Enoch was known as a social activist who advocated for Dalits through his work. In 1992, he served on the jury for the T. V. Nandi Awards presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.