The University of Nairobi (UoN) has appointed diplomat and scholar Prof. Elijah Bitange Ndemo as Vice Chancellor.
In a formal communication from the University Council, Prof. Ndemo is expected to take over the university’s top leadership upon concluding his current role as Kenya’s Ambassador to Belgium.
In the interim, Prof. Francis Jackim Mulaa, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, has been appointed to serve as Acting Vice Chancellor for a period of six months beginning May 5, 2025.
“Prof. Elijah Bitange Ndemo is in the process of handing over his current position as Kenya’s Ambassador to Belgium in Brussels before he relocates to Kenya,” read the letter in part.
Also Read: Bitange Ndemo profile: Age, Education, Career, Family & Net Worth
Why Bitange Will Not Occupy the Office Yet
The appointment follows a Council resolution to fill the leadership gap left after Prof. Margaret Jesang Hutchinson ceased to serve as Acting Vice Chancellor on May 5, 2025.
“Your appointment is intended to preempt an administrative vacuum in the office of the Vice Chancellor since Prof. Margaret Jesang Hutchinson ceased to be the Acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi
“Vide my Ref. No. UON/CS/05/05/25 (1) of 5th May, 2025, and a copy of said letter is attached for quick reference and necessary action,” the letter to Prof. Francis Jackim Mulaa added.
Prof. Mulaa will steer the university’s operations until Prof. Ndemo assumes office later in the year.
The Council, chaired by Prof. Mabel Imbuga, invoked powers under Clause 8 of the First Schedule to the Universities Act, 2012, and Article 18(5) of the University of Nairobi Charter, 2013, to make the appointments.
In April 2024, the University of Nairobi Council sent former Vice Chancellor Stephen Kiama on compulsory leave, amid ongoing leadership wrangles between him and Council Chair Prof. Amukowa Anangwe.
Also Read: CS Julius Ogamba Fires University of Nairobi Council Members
About Bitange Ndemo
Prof Bitange Ndemo was among five candidates who were shortlisted by the Public Service Commission (PSC) for the position.
Other shortlisted candidates included Francis Jackim Mulaa, Ayub Njoroge Gitau, James Njiru, and Duke Orata.
Moreover, he previously served as Kenya’s ambassador to Belgium, a role he was appointed to by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Also, he has held several leadership and academic positions, including Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communications under President Mwai Kibaki, and professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Nairobi.
Before returning to Kenya in 1993, he worked in the U.S. as a Senior Financial Analyst at Medtronic.
Additionally, the professor has contributed as a columnist for the Daily Nation and Business Daily.
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