Prof Ayub Gitau takes helm as University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor

A version of this article appeared on Pulse Kenya.

The University of Nairobi Council has appointed Prof. Ayub N. Gitau as the 9th Vice Chancellor of the institution. The decision was finalised during a special sitting held on May 14, 2026, stability returning to the top administrative office after months of leadership transitions.

Prof. Gitau, an accomplished scholar, takes over from Prof. Margaret Jesang Hutchinson, who has been managing the university executive desk in an acting capacity for the past year.

In the same administrative restructure, the council appointed Prof. Josiah Omollo Aduda as the new Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) in charge of Finance, Planning and Development to steer institutional infrastructure and resource mobilisation.

The arrival of an engineer at the peak of the university administration comes at a critical time when the facility requires extensive campus development, structural expansion, and technological upgrading.

Prof. Gitau holds a deep background in technical infrastructure, being a registered consulting engineer with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK).

His engineering career at the campus spans over two decades, having entered the institution in 2002 as a lecturer in the Department of Environmental and Biosystems Engineering.

He rose to senior lecturer in 2008, became an associate professor in 2015, and attained full professorship in March 2023.

Administratively, he served as department chairman from 2011 to 2017, and later as the substantive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering from March 2019 to June 2024.

He becomes only the second professor from the engineering discipline to lead the university, bringing a systems-thinking approach to the management of physical and academic assets.

Prior to this appointment, he served as the acting DVC for Academic Affairs, a role that involved aligning local technical training with regional requirements.

University Council Chairman Chacha Nyaogotti indicated that the rigorous selection process aims to reposition the university for global competitiveness and institutional renewal.

The incoming executive team faces the task of modernization, including upgrading laboratory facilities, expanding digital learning frameworks, and managing campus real estate assets.

Prof. Gitau has specialised in mechanisation, renewable energy systems, irrigation technologies, and sustainable infrastructure development, areas that intersect directly with the national development agenda.

Prof. Aduda, the incoming finance chief, holds more than 25 years of experience within higher education management, having previously served as the Dean of the School of Business.

His track record in financial governance and policy formulation is expected to reinforce structural capital projects and sustain large-scale university initiatives.

The new leadership assumes control as public universities navigate strict budget controls, requiring innovative approaches to project funding and asset maintenance across all learning centres.