President William Ruto has reappointed Prof Joseph Mathu Ndung’u the chancellor of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
Ndung’u was first appointed as the sixth Chancellor of JKUAT by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta in March 2019.
President Ruto made the announcement in a Gazette notice dated June 20, 2024, noting that Ndung’u will serve the institution for the next five years with effect from June 21, 2024.
Prof. Ndung’u Heads the Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme at the Geneva-based, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) in Switzerland, and is the Executive Director of FIND Dx Kenya
Ndung’u is the sixth JKUAT Chancellor after President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi, President Mwai Kibaki, Prof. Ali Mazrui, Prof. Francis Gichaga and Prof. Geoffrey Ole.
The Professor has a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine and surgery (BVM) from the University of Nairobi.
He also has a PhD in the Immunopathology of Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) from the University of Glasgow’s Veterinary School in Scotland.
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The Chancellor’s Professional Career
With over 100 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 assumed the role of deputy director of research and was subsequently promoted to director of KETRI in 1995.
He later moved to the Kenya Agriculture Research Institute (KARI) as a Chief Research Officer in 2005.
In May 2006, Prof. Ndung’u joined FIND to establish the Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) programme which was later renamed to Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) in 2011 and expanded to include Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, Buruli ulcer and Schistosomiasis.
The Professor of Immunopathology of Sleeping Sickness has established far-reaching linkages and collaborations with professionals and universities which have seen him serve as a visiting Professor of the University of Glasgow since 2001.
He has held a similar position at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
In 2013, Prof. Ndung’u became a Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (CorrFRSE).
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Professor Ndung’u’s Awards
In 2009, the African Union honored Ndung’u with a gold medal for his substantial contributions to research, control, and eradication of sleeping sickness.
Prof. Ndung’u also won the 2019 Prestigious African Union Excellence Award owing to his contributions to research and control of Tsetse fly and Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness).
He was selected by a committee of the International Scientific Council for Trypanosomiasis Research and Control (ISCTRC) which honours individuals who make outstanding contributions towards the council’s goals.
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