Senior UoN Lecturer Isabella Njeri Becomes Kenya's First Female Quantity Surveying Professor

Mjengo Hub joins industry stakeholders in congratulating Prof Isabella Njeri Wachira-Towey following her elevation to Professor of Quantity Surveying, marking the first time a woman has attained the rank within the discipline in Kenya.

The recognition has also been reflected across professional circles, with organisations such as the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK), the Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya (IQSK) and the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS) acknowledging her contribution to the sector.

Prof Wachira-Towey serves as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Nairobi within the Faculty of the Built Environment and Design, Department of Real Estate, Construction Management and Quantity Surveying. Her academic work has been anchored in construction management, with a strong focus on training and education within the construction industry.

Her academic background spans three institutions. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Construction Management from the University of Cape Town, a Master of Engineering in Project Management from Concordia University in Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Building Economics from the University of Nairobi.

Alongside her academic qualifications, she is a registered Quantity Surveyor under the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS). She also serves as a Lead Quality Auditor with the Kenya Bureau of Standards and is a Fellow Arbitrator with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Kenya/UK).

Her professional and academic trajectory reflects sustained engagement with both practice and regulation within the built environment sector, particularly in areas linked to quality assurance, project delivery systems and dispute resolution.

Her elevation introduces a new reference point within quantity surveying in Kenya, a field where progression to professorial rank remains limited and where female representation at senior academic levels has historically been low.

Within industry circles, the milestone is being read as part of a broader shift across the built environment, where more women are entering technical disciplines and advancing into positions that combine academic leadership, professional certification and regulatory involvement.

Her career path, which integrates teaching, research, professional registration and regulatory engagement, reflects the range of experience increasingly associated with senior roles in construction education and practice.

Mjengo Hub joins the wider built environment community in recognising Prof Wachira-Towey’s achievement and acknowledges her continued contribution to training and education within the construction industry, particularly in shaping future professionals in quantity surveying and related disciplines.