Dr Pamela Sitienei has been appointed as the third Chancellor of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST).
Sitienei who is in her early 40s served as the Chairperson of the MMUST council. She will replace businessman Dr Peter Muthoka whose five-year tenure ended two years ago.
Sitienei was conferred as the institution Chancellor by University Legal Officer Kennedy Echesa on Wednesday during the 21st Graduation that saw 3,900 students graduate with certificates, diplomas, Master’s degree, and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.
The new Chancellor said she aspires to make MMUST the premier university in the country and globally having overseen automation of services.
“We have automated the university system by going to enterprise resource planning which has enabled us to manage finances and our students are now able to get all their services online in real-time,” said Sitienei.
She was optimistic that automation of the university system will end cases of students missing marks.
“The problem of a missing mark is a thing of the past because it will be difficult for some dons to change or alter the marks of our students to frustrate their academic journey and this will contribute to professionalism and skilled competency aligned with the global interests and standards,” said Sitienei.
The chancellor said MMUST has changed the livelihoods of residents and must align with the needs of the community through forging local and global partnerships to boost infrastructural development and research portfolio to transform the country.
Sitienei replaces Muthoka who took over from the late President Mwai Kibaki who was the first chancellor of the university.
Vice-Chancellor Solomon Shibairo said the university will continue to spearhead the research integrity for quality education in the country while maintaining global standards and sustainable development.
“We have reduced the issue of missing marks, and incorporated rigorous programmes in engineering and sciences to provide a quality education because research is the lifeline of the university to achieve our mandate as aligned with Kenya Kwanza manifesto,” said Prof Shibairo.
Shibairo said the university has gained Sh270 million in research to find solutions to local and international problems and contribute to societal development and institutional financial sustainability.
Dr George Lutomia who now replaces Dr Sitienei as MMUST council chairperson said the university strives to contribute to growth of the nation through the development of skills and innovation.
“As a council, we remain steadfast as a world-class university in terms of innovation and technology so that we can contribute to the economic growth of our people and the country,” said Lutomia.
