Prof. Kenneth Ngure, an Associate Professor at the College of Health Sciences, has been elected the new Dean, School of Public Health for the next two years after 22-member faculty voted unanimously for Prof. Ngure, whose candidacy was unopposed, during the elections held Thursday, March 17, 2022.
Prof. Ngure was the pioneer Chair of the JKUAT Institutional Ethics Review Committee (IERC) and has served as Chair, Department of Community Health for the past four years.
In his acceptance speech, Prof. Ngure thanked his colleagues for turning up to witness the momentous occasion in his career as he takes the mantle from his predecessor, Prof. Simon Karanja. He promised to collaborate with the faculty to steer the school to even greater heights given the importance of Public Health in Medical Science.
During the declaration of results, the Returning Officer, Dr. Esther Muoria, who is also the Registrar Academics, commended Prof. Ngure on his impressive leadership development and urged him to continue to scale new heights.
The Registrar further challenged women to seek leadership positions and promote gender parity at the decision-making table.
The outgoing Dean, Prof. Karanja thanked his colleagues for the support accorded to him during his four-year tenure. Recounting the gains made since the inception of the school, notably, funding through scientific grants, Prof. Karanja emphasized the importance of delegating, which he said, is vital in effective strategic management.
Prof. Ngure won the Social Sciences Research category at the National AIDS Control Council’s 2nd Maisha HIV/AIDS Awards in 2021, in appreciation of his commitment to HIV and AIDS research, and has published over 100 peer-reviewed academic papers.
He is a member of the Expert Committee on Clinical Trials of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, the National PrEP Technical Working Group as well as a member of the Governing Council of the International AIDS Society, where he represents Africa and sits on the Executive Board.
Dr. Susan Mambo, Chair of the Department of Public Health in her congratulatory remarks, described the new Dean as a pillar of excellence and servant leader, qualities that aided his candidacy and subsequent victory.
Source: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology