KENYA: CUEA gets a New Vice Chancellor
Prof. Justus Mbae, Acting/New VC- CUEA
CUEA Council and Bishop of Nakuru
The AMECEA Executive Board in collaboration with the University Council has appointed Prof. Justus Gitari Mbae, as an Acting Vice-Chancellor (VC) for the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). The announcement was made on Thursday 6th at the University’s main campus in Langata Nairobi by the chairman of the University council Rt. Rev. Maurice Muhatia, Bishop of Nakuru Kenya.
Prof. Justus Mbae who takes over the responsibility with immediate effect was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor-(DVC) for Academics Affairs at the University between 2010 and 2015. His immediate former position he held was the Director, Institute for Regional Integration and Development (IRID).
He is an Associate Professor of education and has a doctorate in Philosophy. He also has a Master’s in Philosophy and a BA in Education. Before joining CUEA in 2010, he was the Educational and Cultural Affairs Specialist, Public Affairs Section, Embassy of the United States, Nairobi, a position he held from 1993 to 2010.
Prof. Mbae who is the Seventh VC of CUEA also worked at Kenyatta University, first as lecturer and later as senior lecturer and chairman at the department of educational foundations from 1981 to 1990 and from 1990 to 1993 respectively.
While making the announcement Bishop Muhatia said that there has been a restructuring of the University going on for various reasons and the council had to replace the position of the Vice Chancellor of the University held by Msgr. Pius Rutechura who has been recalled back to his diocese Bukoba, Tanzania by his local Ordinary.
Acting/New VC- CUEA
He said that the appointment of the Acting Vice Chancellor was necessary so that the restructuring of the University would not be hindered by the vacancy in the seat as Msgr. Rutechura leaves for the Diocese.
“I would like to thank Msgr. Rutechura very much for the work he has done in the University ever since he was appointed as Vice Chancellor until the time he was recalled by his Bishop. I pray that God may bless you in all the other appointments and services which the Bishop is going to give you in the future,” said Bishop Muhatia.
Present at the same occasion was AMECEA Secretary General Rev. Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo who said that the process of getting a new Vice Chancellor began a few months ago when they received the letter from the local ordinary of Msgr. Rutechura, Rt. Rev. Desiderius Rwoma recalling him back to the diocese for other assignments.
“As we started the process of looking for his replacement, we thought within the statutes of the University and also reflected on the statutes of AMECEA. We are grateful that the council honored those statutory requirements and as council we did our work through the search team and we are happy that the people who are considered for the rigorous exercise of the selection for the replacement of Msgr. Rutechura were actually from within the University-CUEA,” said Fr Lugonzo.
Fr Lugonzo further explained that the search team proposed three names to the AMECEA Executive Board, which were subjected to voting by the AMECEA members of the Executive Board in the spirit of the statutes of AMECEA and Prof. Mbae came out the best in the opinion of the Bishops for the recommendations of the search team.
He promised AMECEA secretariat’s support to CUEA as well as appealing to the university fraternity to pull all their resources in terms of ideas and dedication in order to see that CUEA achieve its mission.
By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
