Professor Margaret Hutchinson, the Acting Vice Chancellor (VC) and a Professor of Horticulture at the University of Nairobi, was born on May 9, 1958.
The University of Nairobi (UoN) Council officially installed Prof. Margret Jesang Hutchinson as acting VC following the suspension of Prof. Stephen Kiama on August 4, 2024.
She is also the Substantive Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Enterprise, and the Immediate Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance, Planning and Development at the University of Nairobi.
Prof. Margret Jesang Hutchinson has over 43 years of experience in Agricultural research, extension, innovation, technology transfer, and strategic administration.
Prof. Margaret Jesang Hutchinson Education Background
Prof. Margaret Hutchinson is a seasoned academic with over four decades of experience.
Her journey began with her early education at Kapkenda Girls Secondary School and Ng’iya Girls High School, where she excelled academically.
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During her time at these institutions, Hutchinson earned various certificates of merit for her outstanding performance in physics and subsidiary mathematics.
Later, she pursued her undergraduate studies at the University of Nairobi, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture in 1981.
Driven by her passion for research, Prof. Hutchinson earned her Master of Science in Agronomy from the same university in 1987, supported by a government scholarship.
Margaret Jesang Hutchinson obtained her PhD in Horticulture from the University of Guelph in Canada.
Career Background
Prof. Margaret Jesang began her academic career as a Lecturer at the University of Nairobi.
Between June 2020 and June 2021, Prof. Hutchinson served as the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance, Planning, and Development, overseeing strategic financial management and institutional planning.
In November 2020, Prof. Margaret was appointed Professor of Horticulture, contributing extensively to teaching, research, administration, and consultancy at the University of Nairobi.
From July 2017 to June 2020, she served as Chairperson of the Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection.
However, before attaining full professorship, Prof. Margaret Jesang served as an Associate Professor of Horticulture from December 2013 to 2020 and, earlier, as a Senior Lecturer from June 2000 to 2013, during which she was actively involved in teaching, research, student supervision, and consultancy services.
Beyond academia, Prof. Hutchinson has demonstrated a strong commitment to community and gender empowerment by serving as Executive Director of ECWD and WOMEN DIRECT from 2003 to 2008.
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She empowered women and communities across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Burundi to take up leadership and decision-making roles.
Prof. Margaret Jesang Hutchinson also served as an Agricultural Officer (I) at the Ministry of Agriculture Headquarters, where she worked as Officer-in-Charge of Flowers and Spices (1990) and later as a Planning and Budgeting Officer.
She is the Acting Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Nairobi.
Achievements of Prof. Margaret Jesang Hutchinson
She is the first female Vice Chancellor at UoN, demonstrating exceptional leadership in higher education.
Prof. Margaret Jesang supervised over 20 PhD and MSc theses on topics like postharvest quality, climate change impacts, and horticultural innovations.
From 2017 to 2019, she organized and led major international events, including the First, Second, and Third All Africa Postharvest Congress and Exhibitions.
Margaret Jesang secured and led funded research projects totaling over 74 million KES (approximately $570,000 USD), covering postharvest technologies, gender mainstreaming in climate-smart agriculture, and value chain improvements.
In 2012, she won the Best Poster Award at the 3rd RUFORUM Biennial Regional Conference for work on mango value chains.
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