Prof Susan Njeri Kibue, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Architecture at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (J.K.U.A.T.), is the first Kenyan female professor of architecture.
Since April 2025, Susan Kibue has been adjusting to the title of “Professor.” It has taken the country more than 60 years of independence to produce its first female professor of architecture.
“Whenever I hear someone calling ‘Professor’ behind me, I first look around me to see if there are other professors before responding,” Kibue told the Standard. “I am still getting used to it.”
Prof Susan Njeri Kibue Academic and Professional Qualifications
Prof Susan holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Sheffield, as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PCHE) from the same university.
She also holds a Master of Arts in Housing Studies from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, through the Centre for Architectural Research and Development Overseas, and a Diploma in French Language and Culture from the University of Paris.
Additionally, the Professor holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Nairobi.
Her other professional qualifications include Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Audit (EA) from JKUAT, as well as Construction Adjudication (CIArb).
Professor Susan is a registered architect with the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors.
Teaching and Professional Work
Dr. Kibue has taught Diploma and degree courses, both undergraduate and postgraduate, at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. She lectures and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students.
She has been involved in lecturing on architectural design courses, including History and Theory of Architecture, Human Settlements, and Environmental Behaviour Studies, which cover aspects related to the social and cultural interface of the built environment.
Dr Susan has worked at the Ministry of Public Works as an architect. She is also engaged in architectural design practice and has undertaken various commercial, institutional, and residential projects.
Born in Nyeri but raised in Nairobi, Kibue, after graduating, worked at the Ministry of Public Works as an assistant architect.
“I worked on government projects, including police and National Youth Service buildings. No assignments were beneath me as I also worked on dog kennels at the Police Dog Unit in Langata and Mombasa,” she recalled.
When she began lecturing at JKUAT in 1992, Kibue stated that there were hardly any female students.
“Girls were persuaded to pursue ‘softer’ studies such as secretarial courses. There were only two girls in our class. In fact, I saw some girls who had joined the university with straight ‘As’ drop out. Sadly, some of these also felt this was man’s world,” the Prof said.
Through Domus Architects, her firm, she designed a 300-seater lecture theatre at Kirinyaga University — a structure defined by its environmental consciousness and cultural sensitivity.
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Leadership Roles
Dr. Kibue is the former Dean of the School of Architecture and Building Sciences at JKUAT.
She previously served as Associate Dean of the same school and as Chair of the Architecture Department, becoming the first female to hold these positions.
In these roles, she participated in the accreditation of the Architecture programme from its formative years to its current status.
Kibue also contributed to the growth of the school and the development of several successful, market-oriented programmes within the Built Environment.
Prof. Kibue was a member of the Advisory Board of the United Nations Capital Master Plan in New York from January 2010 to September 2014.
Since October 2012, she has chaired the Architects and Quantity Surveyors Education Board (AQSEB) of the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS), a position she has held since June 2003, when she joined AQSEB as a member.
The committee is responsible for examining graduate architects and quantity surveyors for registration, organizing Continuous Professional Development seminars, and ensuring high educational standards in tertiary institutions that train professionals in the built environment.
She is also a member of the BORAQS main board and has served on the Strathmore University Council since March 2015.
Additionally, Prof. Susan Kibue was an External Examiner at several institutions. She worked at the Department of Architecture, Polytechnic of Namibia, Windhoek, from November 2011 to November 2015.
Before that, she held the same role at the Department of Architecture, Ardhi University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from December 2007 to 2010, and at the Department of Architecture, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, from June 2005 to June 2007.
Also Read: Prof Sarah Kinyanjui: Legal Scholar Who Earned Her PhD at 28 and Became a Professor at 45
Research
Dr. Kibue has undertaken research on Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) of slum upgrading projects, entitled ‘A comparative study between self-help initiatives and government-sponsored initiatives’, which is funded by the National Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation (NACOSTI).
Other research includes the Redevelopment of Toi Market, in collaboration with Zone Onlus and Pamoja Trust at the initial stages.
Research interests include housing and human settlement aspects for low-income urban dwellers, as well as studies of methods and technologies that can mitigate the situation.
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