NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 20 — Professor Kivutha Kibwana has assumed office as Chancellor of the International Leadership University (ILU), with Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, former Court of Appeal President Justice Daniel Musinga and Green Africa’s Kalua Green hailing his professionalism and values as key to the institution’s growth.
The leaders said Prof. Kibwana’s extensive experience in academia, constitutional reform, public service and leadership would strengthen the university as it pursues its institutional mandate.
Prof. Kibwana is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, Certified Secretary and Professor of Law whose career spans academia, civil society, politics and public administration.
He taught law at the University of Nairobi from 1977 to 2002, rising to become Dean of the Faculty of Law and Associate Professor. He currently serves as Professor of Law at Daystar University and as an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
His public career was shaped by his involvement in Kenya’s pro-democracy movement in the 1990s, where he served as spokesperson for the National Convention Assembly and National Convention Executive Council between 1997 and 2002, ILU noted in a citation at his installation.
His involvement in the reform movement coincided with efforts that contributed to Kenya’s return to multiparty politics and ultimately the constitutional reform process that produced the 2010 Constitution.
Prof. Kibwana later entered elective politics, serving as Member of Parliament for Makueni Constituency from 2003 to 2007. He subsequently held ministerial responsibilities in the Office of the President and Office of the Vice President, including portfolios covering Environment and Natural Resources and Lands.
In 2006, he served as President of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP12, held in Nairobi.
In January 2008, he was appointed Presidential Adviser on Constitutional, Parliamentary and New Affairs, a position he held until September 2012.
He went on to serve two terms as Governor of Makueni County from 2013 to 2022, where he became associated with innovations in devolved governance and public participation.
In 2023, he joined the Big Wave Philanthropies-supported African Mayoral Leadership Initiative as an adviser, mentor and coach.
His career has earned him several awards and honours, including recognition by the Kenya Community Abroad for his contribution to constitutional reform, the International Commission of Jurists Outstanding Public Servant/Game Changer Award in 2019 and recognition as a leading public servant in 2020.
He has also been recognised for his contribution to volunteerism, including as National Goodwill Ambassador for Volunteerism from 2018 to 2024 and Volunteer Lifetime Achievement of the Year in 2024.
At his installation, the citation described Prof. Kibwana as a human rights activist, academician, writer and changemaker, noting his studies at the University of Nairobi, London, Harvard and George Washington, as well as theological studies at the African International University.
The university said his combination of academic, legal, political and civic leadership experience made him a fitting addition to its leadership as it seeks to advance its institutional growth.
Prof. Kibwana becomes the third Chancellor of the International Leadership University.
