Newly installed Kenyatta University Vice-Chancellor Prof. John Okumu has been handed an ambitious mandate: to help transform the institution into a globally competitive centre of excellence capable of playing a leading role in Kenya’s development.
The challenge was issued by Kenyatta University Chancellor Ambassador Francis Muthaura during the installation of Prof. Okumu as the university’s seventh Vice-Chancellor at the Graduation Square of the Main Campus.
Muthaura challenged the university community to abandon complacency and embrace hard work, innovation, creativity and determination if Kenyatta University is to compete with the world’s leading institutions.
“Why can’t our university be the Harvard of Africa? Why can’t it be the Oxford of Africa?”
The Chancellor said there was nothing preventing an African university from attaining such global stature apart from a lack of sufficient effort, innovation and determination.
He urged the university community to learn from successful institutions around the world while developing solutions that respond to Kenya’s and Africa’s unique challenges.
Muthaura said Kenya’s transformation would largely depend on the quality of its education system, describing high-quality education as the most effective route for moving the country from a developing nation to a developed economy.
He challenged students, lecturers, professors, engineers and other professionals to take personal responsibility for driving the country’s transformation.
According to the Chancellor, global competition was increasingly being determined by productivity, quality service delivery and innovation, with employment opportunities growing alongside production, services and new ideas.
He cited Kenya’s success in athletics as an example of what determination and sustained effort can achieve, challenging the country to apply the same spirit to education, science, technology, research and innovation.
“Please erase that in your mind. We are capable of being leaders,” Muthaura told the university community, urging Africans to reject the mindset that they were destined to remain followers.
Okumu takes charge
Prof. Okumu, who formally assumed the Vice-Chancellorship during the ceremony, said his experience at Kenyatta University had played a significant role in shaping his career and his desire to contribute to Kenya’s future.
“There is something that I have seen during my time here. There is something that I have seen to be able to build my whole career, to be able to help build the future of Kenya,” he said.
His installation marks a new phase for the university, with the institution seeking to advance its academic, research, innovation and community service agenda while strengthening its global standing.
Muthaura reminded Prof. Okumu that he was not taking charge of a new institution but inheriting a university built over decades through the contribution and sacrifice of many people.
He challenged the new Vice-Chancellor to preserve what works, improve what needs to change and create new opportunities for future generations.
“The responsibility entrusted to you is to preserve what has served this institution well, improve what must change and open new possibilities for those who come after us,” Muthaura said.
He also urged the entire university community — including the Council, management, Senate, staff, students and alumni — to rally behind the new Vice-Chancellor.
He said leadership may be exercised from an office, but institutional success is ultimately a collective responsibility.
Momanyi sets leadership expectations
Kenyatta University Council Non-Executive Chairperson Prof. Clara Momanyi expressed confidence in Prof. Okumu’s ability to steer the institution, citing his extensive institutional knowledge and leadership experience.
Prof. Momanyi said the recruitment process sought a leader with experience, sound judgement, integrity and an understanding of the complex responsibilities involved in managing a major public university.
She said Prof. Okumu’s experience in senior university management had given him a deep understanding of Kenyatta University, its history, strengths and challenges.
The Council Chairperson said the new administration would have to address issues affecting staff and student welfare, institutional operations, financial sustainability and innovation.
She urged Prof. Okumu to listen carefully, consult widely and remain focused on the university’s priorities.
“Let integrity, fairness and results guide your leadership,” she said.
Prof. Momanyi assured the Vice-Chancellor that the University Council would work with his administration within its governance and oversight mandate.
She emphasised the need for mutual respect, accountability and clarity between the Council and university management.
The Council Chairperson further challenged Prof. Okumu to lead with both firmness and empathy, draw from the institution’s pool of talent and empower staff and students to contribute to the university’s future.
Four pillars for KU’s next chapter
The university’s installation ceremony was held under the theme “Forging Ahead in Unity, Excellence, Sustainability and Greater Global Impact.”
Muthaura said unity should be based on a shared institutional purpose, noting that universities naturally bring together people with different disciplines, backgrounds, generations and ideas.
He said such diversity should be viewed as a strength rather than a source of division.
On excellence, he said Kenyatta University had built a strong reputation in teaching, research, innovation, arts, sports, community engagement and public service, but warned that excellence could not be treated as an inheritance that sustains itself.
“Excellence has to be renewed every day,” he said.
He called for high academic standards, intellectual courage, integrity, innovation and global competitiveness.
On sustainability, Muthaura urged the university to respond to changing funding models, technological disruption and growing public expectations by using its resources responsibly and strengthening research, innovation and partnerships.
He said a strong university should not merely survive difficult periods but should emerge better prepared for the future.
On global impact, the Chancellor said Kenyatta University must look beyond Kenya’s borders while remaining firmly rooted in the needs of Kenya and Africa.
He said the institution’s international standing should ultimately be judged by the quality of knowledge it produces, the calibre of graduates it sends into the world and the solutions it develops to address challenges facing humanity.
New students urged to seize opportunities
The installation also coincided with the matriculation of new students, who were welcomed into the university community and encouraged to take full advantage of the opportunities available to them.
The university’s student affairs leadership outlined a range of services available to students, including accommodation, chaplaincy, security, health and wellness, counselling, career development and disability support.
Students were encouraged to prioritise their academic work, make use of the library, form study groups and participate actively in their studies.
They were also urged to maintain healthy lifestyles, participate in sporting and creative activities and avoid drug and alcohol abuse.
The university leadership cautioned students against negative peer pressure and called on them to maintain discipline, uphold high moral standards and comply with university rules.
Students were particularly reminded to avoid examination irregularities and observe the university’s social media policy.
On security, students were told that their safety was not solely the responsibility of university security personnel.
They were encouraged to know their friends, classmates and roommates, report suspicious persons, parcels or activities and familiarise themselves with emergency exits and escape routes.
Student leaders were also urged to ensure that first-year students received adequate orientation and support as they adapted to university life.
Muthaura told the new students that education should open their minds, expand their choices and equip them to become innovative and creative problem-solvers.
He encouraged them to pursue their studies with discipline and curiosity and to become active members of the university community.
Quoting the African proverb that if you want to go far, you go together, the Chancellor said Kenyatta University would only achieve its ambitions if its community moved forward with a shared sense of purpose.
He urged Prof. Okumu to listen widely, consult sincerely and make difficult decisions with courage.
“A new Vice-Chancellor does not begin a new university. It takes the baton in a continuing institutional journey,” Muthaura said.
He challenged the university community to build on what had already been achieved and move forward with renewed purpose.
Who witnessed the installation?
The installation ceremony was attended by the representative of the Principal Secretary for Higher Education Dr Beatrice Inyangala, represented by Higher Education Senior Counsel Aprinah Shikoli, Hon. Mohamed Ali, the Nyali Member of Parliament; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education of the Federal Republic of Somalia; ambassadors and high commissioners; Kenyatta University Council Chairperson Prof. Clara Momanyi; members of the University Council and Senate; senior university management, deans, professors, lecturers, students and other distinguished guests.
Prof. Okumu now begins his tenure with a clear challenge from the university’s leadership: to protect Kenyatta University’s legacy while pushing it towards greater innovation, excellence, sustainability and international influence.