The Chancellor
Prof. Joseph Mathu Ndung’u, BVM, PhD, CorrFRSE
The Chancellor is the honorary head and symbol of authority in the University whose main function is to confer degrees and grant diplomas and other awards of the university.
Prof. Joseph Mathu Ndung’u, a global researcher and scholar of repute, is the sixth Chancellor of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) following his appointment by His Excellency the President, Uhuru Kenyatta in January 2019, through Gazette Notice No. 2063, citing the University Act (No 42 of 2012).
Upon the expiry of his first term, Prof. Ndung’u was reappointed by His Excellency the President, Dr. William Samoei Arap Ruto on 20th June 2024 to serve for another term of five (5) years, with effect from 21st June, 2024.
The Chancellor is the honorary head and symbol of authority in the University whose main function is to confer degrees and grant diplomas and other awards of the university.
Prof. Ndung’u is a Regional Director for the Geneva-based Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) and the Executive Director of FIND Dx Kenya, a position he has occupied since 2022. Before then, he was the head of the Neglected Tropical Diseases at FIND.
Prof. Joseph Mathu Ndung’u holds a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVM) from the University of Nairobi, and a Ph.D. in the Immunopathology of Human African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) from the University of Glasgow’s Veterinary School, Scotland.
With over 100 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 the position of Director, KETRI in 1995.
In 2004, Prof Ndung’u moved to the Kenya Agriculture Research Institute (KARI) as a Chief Research Officer, before joining the Geneva-based FIND in May 2006 to establish the Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) programme which was later renamed Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) in 2011.
Throughout his extensive career, 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). He also received a gold medal award from the African Union in 2009 for his contribution to research, control and eradication of tsetse and trypanosomiasis.
On September 27, 2019, Prof. Ndung’u, again, became the latest beneficiary of the African Union’s prestigious Excellence Award, 2019. He was selected by a committee based on his achievement and contribution to research and control of T&T in recognition for spearheading the Development of New Diagnostics Tools for Neglected Tropical Diseases.