Prof. Joseph Mathu Ndung’u is the New Chancellor of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology following his appointment by President Uhuru Kenyatta through Gazette Notice No. 2063 citing the University Act (No 42 of 2012).
Prof. Ndung’u who is the Head of Neglected Tropical Diseases at the Geneva based, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) will serve for a period of five years effective from January 11, 2019.
Prof. Ndung’u has a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVM) from the University of Nairobi, and a PhD in the Immunopathology of human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) from the University of Glasgow’s Veterinary School in Scotland.
With over 80 publications to his credit, Prof. Ndung’u started his professional career in 1985 as an Assistant Research Officer at the Kenya Trypanosomiasis Research Institute (KETRI). In 1992 he became the Deputy Director in charge of Research, and was 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.
Throughout his extensive career, the Professor of Immunopathology of Sleeping Sickness has established far-reaching linkages and collaborations with many African governments, professionals and universities which have seen him serve as a visiting Professor of the University of Glasgow from 2001. He has held a similar position at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
The Gazette Notice
In 2013, Prof. Ndung’u became a Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (CorrFRSE). He also received a gold medal from the African Union in 2009 for his contribution to research, control and eradication of tsetse and trypanosomiasis.
Prof. Ndung’u is the sixth Chancellor of JKUAT after President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi, President Mwai Kibaki, Prof. Ali Mazrui, Prof. Francis Gichaga and Prof. Geoffrey Ole Maloiy.