Olive Mugenda

Last updated
Olive Mwihaki Mugenda
Born1956 (age 67–68)
Kenya
NationalityKenyan
CitizenshipKenya
Alma mater University of Nairobi
(Bachelor of Education)
Iowa State University
(Master of Science)
(Doctor of Philosophy)
Eastern and Southern African Management Institute
(Master of Business Administration)
Occupation Academic & Academic Administrator
Years active1988 — present
Known forAdministrative Skills, Body of Work
Title Chancellor
KCA University

Olive Mwihaki Mugenda is a Kenyan academic, researcher and academic administrator. She is currently the chairperson board of directors at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital, a leading national referral hospital. She was appointed vice chancellor of Kenyatta University one of the 31 public universities in Kenya, in 2006, the first woman to lead a public university in the African Great Lakes area, and served in that position until 20 March 2016. [1]

Contents

Mugenda was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2016. [2]

Background and education

She was born and raised in Kenya. She attended the University of Nairobi, graduating with a Bachelor of Education degree. She studied at Iowa State University, obtaining the degree of Master of Science in family studies in 1983. Her degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in the same field, was obtained in 1988, also from Iowa State University. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute. [3]

Career

When she graduated with her first degree, she joined the staff at Kenyatta University, in 1981, as a tutorial fellow. Because she had done very well during her Bachelor of Education studies, obtaining a first class honours degree in the process, she was given a scholarship to study at Iowa State University for her master's degree and doctorate.

After her graduate studies in the United States, she returned to lecture at Kenyatta University. She specialized in "women’s education, home economics, statistics and research methodology". She was promoted from Lecturer to Head of Department, to Dean of Faculty. Then she was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Planning. In 2006, when the position of Vice Chancellor at the university was advertised, she applied and beat three other applicants, all male, for the job. As Vice Chancellor, one of the major accomplishments is the establishment of Kenyatta University Referral Hospital, a 500-bed referral hospital, wholly owned by the university, which cost US$95 million to construct. [4] In October 2013, Professor Olive Mugenda was appointed Chairperson of the Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. [5] The association is the oldest international universities network, with over 500 universities, in 37 countries as members. The secretariat is based in London, United Kingdom.

After her retirement from Kenyatta university, President Uhuru Kenyatta nominated her to serve in the Judicial Service Commission where she is to represent members of the public. [6] She was also appointed in April 2019 as the chairperson of the board of the Kenyatta University Teaching & Referral Hospital in 2019. [7] The board was tasked to kickstart operations in the hospital that had been lying idle years after completion due to uncertainties over its management and ownership structure. She is currently the chancellor of KCA University.

Family

Mugenda and her late husband, Abel Mugenda, an academic at the University of Nairobi, are the parents of four children. Two ladies and two gents. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenyatta University</span> Public university in Nairobi, Kenya

Kenyatta University (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Nairobi, Kenya. It acquired the status of university in 1985, being the third university after University of Nairobi (1970) and Moi University (1984). As of October 2014, it was one of 23 public universities in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miriam Were</span> Kenyan public health advocate and academic (born 1940)

Miriam Khamadi Were is a Kenyan public health advocate, academic, and recipient of the first Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize. In 2022, she has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in public health.

Professor Leah Marangu is a Kenyan academic. She was born in South Imenti, Meru County, Kenya. She is considered to be one of Kenya's most distinguished and decorated scholars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology</span> Public university in Juja, Kenya

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) is a public university that is situated in Juja, 36 kilometres northeast of Nairobi, along the Nairobi-Thika SuperHighway, off Exit 15. It offers courses in Technology, Engineering, Science, Commerce, Management and Building sciences. The university has a strong research interest in the areas of biotechnology and engineering. Notable alumni include Dr. Paul Chepkwony, the first governor of Kericho County in Kenya and a former lecturer, Emma Miloyo, a prominent Kenyan architect and the first female president of the Architectural Association of Kenya, as well as Aden Duale, the former Leader of Majority in the 11th Kenyan Parliament among others. As at 2023, the Vice Chancellor of the University was Prof. Victoria Ngumi.

Joseph Maina Mungai was the first African to become Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Nairobi. Besides a medical journal editor position, and a long-term stint as a newspaper correspondent, he was also Head and faculty member of the Department of Anatomy,.

Christine Dranzoa was a Ugandan university professor, academic administrator, biologist, terrestrial ecologist and community leader. She was, at the time of her death, the Vice Chancellor of Muni University, one of the public universities in Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judi Wakhungu</span> Kenyan politician

Judi Wangalwa Wakhungu is a Kenyan politician, diplomat, and geologist who was appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta as ambassador to France on 26 January 2018. Immediately prior to her present position, she served as the cabinet secretary for environment and regional development authorities from 25 April 2013 until 17 January 2018.

Mary Jossy Nakhanda Okwakol is a Ugandan university professor, academic administrator, zoologist and community leader. She is the current chairperson of the Uganda National Examinations Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wasawo</span>

Professor David Peter Simon Wasawo was a Kenyan zoologist, conservationist, and university administrator. After studying at Uganda's Makerere University he earned an M.A. at the University of Oxford and a PhD at University of London. He taught at Makerere University, and was Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Nairobi, and later chancellor of Great Lakes University of Kisumu.

Eddah Wacheke Gachukia is a Kenyan educationist and entrepreneur. She is a co-founder of the Riara Group of Schools that includes Riara University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvia Shitsama Nyamweya</span> Kenyan neurosurgeon

Sylvia Shitsama Nyamweya, is a Kenyan consultant neurosurgeon at the Kenyatta National Referral Hospital. She is the first female neurosurgeon in Kenya and one of a handful of female neurosurgeons in the country.

George Albert Omore Magoha was a Kenyan consultant surgeon, academic administrator and technocrat, who served as a Professor of Surgery at Maseno University's School of Medicine, in Kisumu County as from 17 January 2023 till his death.

Margaret Kanyiri Kobia (nee Rukaria) is a Kenyan who was nominated by President Uhuru Kenyatta as Cabinet Secretary for the Public Service, Youth, and Gender Affairs, on 26 January 2018. Prior to her current position, she served as the chairperson of the Kenya Public Service Commission from December 2012 until January 2018.

Susane Nabulindo Masakhwe is a Kenyan consultant anesthesiologist at the Kenyatta National Referral Hospital. Her specialty is pediatric anesthesiology, a specialty where, in 2014, there were only five qualified Kenyans in the field. She is one of a very small number of female pediatric anesthesiologists in the country. She also concurrently serves as a lecturer in the Department of Anesthesia at the University of Nairobi, Kenya's largest public university.

Professor Laban Ayiro is a Kenyan academic, currently serving as the Vice Chancellor of Daystar University, a Christian, liberal arts university based in Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya.

Eva Wangechi Mubia Njenga, is a Kenyan consultant physician and endocrinologist, who serves as the Chairperson of the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board, the professional body that regulates medical doctors and dentists practicing in the country. She was appointed to that position on 10 April 2019, being the first female in the history of Kenya, to serve in that role.

Cecilia Wangechi Mwathi was a Kenyan mathematician and union activist. She was the first woman in Kenya to become a mathematics professor, and was known both for her activism for higher education and for inspiring Kenyan girls to study science, technology, and mathematics.

Jennifer Kabura Karina, is a Kenyan businesswoman, "psychologist, certified professional coach, energy leadership practitioner, public speaker and author". Effective July 2021, she serves as the chairperson of the board of directors at the Kenya Reinsurance Corporation, a publicly traded company on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. Before she was appointed to her current position, she was a member of the board at Kenya RE and chaired the human resources and nominations committee of that board.

Rose Mwonya was appointed vice-chancellor (VC) of Egerton University in 2015, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the institution's 76-year history. She served in this role for five years, until 2021. Mwonya was one of 21 applicants for the position, and was selected after a rigorous selection process. She is a highly accomplished academic, with a PhD in Agriculture and Home Economics from Iowa State University. She has held a number of senior positions at Egerton University, including dean of students and deputy VC in charge of academics. As VC, Mwonya advocated for gender equality and women's empowerment. She also worked to improve the quality of education at Egerton University, and to increase its internationalization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kipyego Cheluget</span> Kenyan diplomat

Kipyego Cheluget is a Kenyan diplomat known for his contributions to regional diplomacy in Eastern and Southern Africa. His career spans roles as the Kenyan High Commissioner to Zambia and Malawi, Permanent Representative to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and Assistant Secretary-General of COMESA. Dr. Cheluget has also served in leadership positions at the East African Community, showcasing his commitment to regional integration and cooperation. He is also an author, having written "Kenya's Fifty Years of Diplomatic Engagement: From Kenyatta to Kenyatta".

References

  1. ↑ "Iowa State University Alumni Association: Distinguished Alumni Award - Olive Mwihaki Mugenda, 2008". Iowa State University Alumni Association (ISUALUM). 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Ghanaian educationist, Anis Haffar listed among 100 most influential Africans". Business World Ghana. 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  3. ↑ "Academic Profile of Professor Olive Mugenda". UNESCO . Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Nganga, Gilbert (26 August 2012). "How Kenyatta's Leader Shattered The Glass Ceiling". University World News . Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Kenyatta University Vice-Chancellor Professor Olive Mugenda To Chair Council of Commonwealth Universities". The Standard (Kenya) . 17 October 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Mugenda, Koskei nominated to Judicial Service Commission » Capital News". 13 February 2018.
  7. ↑ "Olive Mugenda to chair Kenyatta University Hospital board". 28 June 2020.
  8. ↑ "The Family Members of Olive Mwihaki Mugenda". Iowa State University Alumni Association (ISUALUM). 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.