David Serem appointed new MKU council chairman

Prof David Serem who has been appointed Mount Kenya University (MKU) council chairman. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Prof Serem, who currently lectures at Moi University, holds a PhD in Management of Higher Education from the University of Wyoming, US, is a seasoned administrator with a career spanning over two decades.
  • Accepting the appointment announced on Saturday in a press release, Prof Serem said his priority would be to ensure that the ongoing transformation at the MKU is sustained to make it a hub of research and academic excellence in the region.

Mount Kenya University (MKU) has appointed Prof David Serem to chair its council following the exit of Prof Grace Njoroge who has joined the Commission for University Education (CUE) as the head of programmes accreditation.

Prof Serem, who currently lectures at Moi University, holds a PhD in Management of Higher Education from the University of Wyoming, US, is a seasoned administrator with a career spanning over two decades.

He has served as a head of department, Dean, Principal, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice Chancellor in various Universities in the country.

As a pioneer Principal of Narok University College, Prof Serem nurtured it until it was awarded Chatter in February 2013. He was also among the pioneer faculty of Maseno University College in 1990s and has also been the VC of Maasai Mara University.

SUSTAIN TRANSFORMATION

Accepting the appointment announced on Saturday in a press release, Prof Serem said his priority would be to ensure that the ongoing transformation at the MKU is sustained to make it a hub of research and academic excellence in the region.

“I am thrilled about the new assignment and let me assure the entire MKU fraternity that I will take the challenge head-on. There is no room for failure. We will continue with the ongoing trend of ensuring that teaching is above board, attract and retain the best human resource in the market and also strengthen intra-marketing of the institution,” he said.

DIPLOMA AND POSTGRADUATE

Aware of the challenge private universities may face after the decline in the number of those who qualify to directly pursue undergraduate courses, the chairman said: “We will strengthen our diploma and postgraduate programmes to ensure we become a one-stop shop for all these, it will guarantee inflow of learners and also tap into the skill gap we have in the country.”

The scholar is a member of several professional associations, among them the Kenya Institute of Management where he currently is a member of the board. He has also been a board member of Kenya Airways and the National Housing Corporation. He currently serves as a Board Member of the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute.

Prof Serem also serves as a chairman of Kipkeino High School and is also on the Board of Management of Kapsabet Boys and Kapsabet Girls Secondary schools in Nandi County.

The appointment runs for three years and can be renewed. He will be introduced to the other council members on Monday.