President appoints new chancellor for JKUAT

Joseph Mathu Ndung’u, who has been appointed new Chancellor of JKUAT by President Uhuru Kenyatta. [Courtesy]

President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed Prof Joseph Mathu Ndung’u as the new chancellor of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).

Prof Ndung’u, who is the head of neglected tropical diseases at the Geneva-based Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, will serve for five years with effect from January 11.

While welcoming the appointment, JKUAT Vice-Chancellor, Prof Victoria Wambui Ngumi, congratulated Ndung’u on his new role and said the university management would work with him to propel the institution to greater heights.

Ndung’u has a Bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine, surgery from the University of Nairobi and a PhD in the immunopathology of human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) from the University of Glasgow’s Veterinary School in Scotland.

With over 80 publications to his credit, Ndung’u started his professional career in 1985 as an assistant research officer at the Kenya Trypanosomiasis Research Institute (Ketri).

In 1992, he became the deputy director in charge of research and was later promoted to director of Ketri in 1995.