Faculty of Health Sciences scoops top position as best performing Faculty as Varsity Honors 159 Staff and Signs Performance Contract FY 2025/2026
The Faculty of Health Sciences has emerged as the top-performing Faculty, as the institution recognized 159 members of staff and signed the FY 2025/2026 Performance Contract in a ceremony that combined celebration with firm governance signals.
Held at the iconic Taifa Hall, the Staff Recognition and Awards Ceremony doubled as a formal accountability platform, with Council and Management underscoring that performance contracting remains a legally anchored obligation not a ceremonial exercise.
The Faculty of Health Sciences posted a composite score of 2.5259 to lead all faculties, ahead of the Faculty of Engineering (2.5845) and the Faculty of Law (2.70925), both rated “Very Good.”
At departmental level, the Department of Economics & Development Studies emerged Overall Best Unit with an “Excellent” composite score of 2.1472, while the Information and Communication Technology Centre ranked first among central directorates. At faculty level, the Faculty of Health Sciences led as the Best Performing Faculty with a composite score of 2.5259, followed by the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Law, reflecting sustained excellence across teaching, research and service.
The awards further recognized outstanding institutional advancement and global impact. Under Special Recognition, Prof. Kariuki Muigua (Faculty of Law) and Prof. Attiya Waris earned Global Recognition honours for their international standing and contributions to global legal reform, while Mr. Johnson Kinyua was acknowledged for global leadership service. In Resource Mobilization (Infrastructure), Dr. Loise Achieng Ombajo of the Faculty of Health Sciences ranked first, mobilizing over KES 1.2 billion, underscoring the University’s growing research and infrastructure footprint.
Innovation excellence was recognized at both individual and faculty levels, with the Faculty of Law standing out for institutional innovation through its hackathons, legal tech initiatives and inclusive education partnerships.
Individual excellence stood out across teaching, research, innovation and community engagement. Prof. Anthony Wambugu of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences scored 100 percent to win Lecturer of the Year. Prof. Muthoni Mathai of the Faculty of Health Sciences led in research output with 23 publications during the evaluation period.
Dr. Michael Ndwiga was recognized for developing PeekGrow Foliar Fertilizer, an organic formulation designed to lower farmers’ input costs through integrated nutrient delivery. Dr. Juliana Jepkemoi Cheboi of the Faculty of Agriculture was honored for advancing climate-smart crop production and integrated dairy systems targeting women and youth in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
Across central administration, several directorates recorded exemplary performance, including the Information and Communication Technology Centre, Internal Audit, Library and Information Services, Planning and Performance Management, Human Resource, Security and Safety Services, and the Vice Chancellor’s Office, reflecting a culture of accountability, service excellence and results-driven management across the University.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Margaret Jesang Hutchinson, whose address was delivered by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Human Resource and Administration Prof. Demesi Mande, emphasized that only staff rated “Excellent” in the 2023/2024 appraisal cycle qualified for recognition.
“The threshold was not lowered. Excellence must remain exceptional,” she said.
She noted measurable improvements in documentation quality, timeliness of submissions and closer linkage between annual work plans and approved budgets evidence that performance management systems are maturing.
“Performance is continuous, not annual,” she said, cautioning that a uniform performance culture must be entrenched across all units.
Council Chair Prof. Chacha Nyaigotti-Chacha framed the ceremony as a statutory governance instrument.
Prof.Chacha Nyaigotti -Chacha, Chair of the UoN Council delivers his key note address as Chief Guest during the staff recognition award ceremony and FY 2025-2026 PC signing at the iconic Taifa Hall.
“This occasion is not a mere ritual observance. It is a formal affirmation of our collective accountability to the Government of Kenya, to our stakeholders, and to one another,” he said.
He described the FY 2025–2026 Performance Contract as “legally and administratively binding,” translating the University’s strategic plan into measurable deliverables aligned with national development priorities.
“Performance contracting is not symbolic documentation. It is a governance instrument,” he stated, adding that Council will rigorously monitor implementation through periodic reporting and corrective interventions.
The Chair acknowledged financial pressures facing public Universities diminishing capitation, fluctuating enrollment, rising operational costs, pension liabilities and infrastructure demands and outlined deliberate measures taken to strengthen financial governance. These include tightened expenditure controls, strengthened audit and risk management systems, enhanced procurement oversight and diversified revenue streams through research grants, partnerships, consultancies, alumni engagement and commercially aligned ventures.
“Financial prudence is stewardship in the interest of sustainability,” he said.
Council has also reviewed performance indicators including enrollment trends, completion rates, research output, global ranking metrics and service delivery complaints.
“These indicators are not abstract statistics. They are governance signals.”
He further highlighted ongoing Human Resource reforms undergoing statutory approval, structured engagement with staff unions through Internal Collective Bargaining Agreements, and efforts to clear promotion backlogs to ensure predictable and merit-based career progression.
“Industrial stability is indispensable to academic continuity, and academic continuity is indispensable to institutional reputation,” he added.
Opening the ceremony, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Finance, Planning and Development Prof. Jackson Maalu underscored that recognition at the University is embedded within a structured “rewards and sanctions” framework designed to reinforce productivity and accountability.
“The University has long cultivated a culture of both rewards and sanctions,” he said. “Recognition must not only be fair but also defensible.”
Following the Vice-Chancellor’s appointment of the Staff Awards and Recognition Committee on January 23, 2026, the Committee extracted and validated appraisal outcomes from the 2023/2024 cycle, required units to confirm ratings and submit supporting documentation, and resolved documentation gaps before moderation.
Scores were reviewed against approved thresholds, and tied results were resolved using structured principles without lowering standards. Deliberations were documented to ensure audit traceability and institutional memory reinforcing that recognition must withstand scrutiny.
Despite compressed timelines and budget constraints, the Committee rationalized expenditure, prioritized high-impact categories and structured partner engagement rather than dilute standards.
Looking ahead, the University will institutionalize earlier activation of the Awards Committee, clearer integration of award metrics into the revised appraisal tool, greater digitization of verification workflows and stronger linkage between performance recognition and budget planning frameworks.
“Recognition must reinforce performance culture, performance culture must be measurable, and measurability must align with institutional capacity,” Prof. Maalu said.
He also acknowledged sponsors who supported the ceremony, including Nation Media Group, Stanbic Bank Kenya, Wonder Properties, Madison Insurance and Nairobi Bottlers Limited.
As the University transitions into the FY 2025/2026 cycle, leadership signaled stricter documentation standards, enforced quarterly monitoring and tighter alignment between targets and resources.
“In this new cycle, performance expectations will be higher. Documentation standards will be stricter. Quarterly monitoring will be enforced. Recognition will remain merit-based,” Prof. Hutchinson said.
For Council, Management and staff alike, the ceremony marked both recognition and recommitment — reinforcing that performance at the University of Nairobi is measured, verified and accountable.
“Excellence will not be declared,” the Vice-Chancellor stated. “It will be demonstrated.”
Watch the Event HERE
Download the Staff Recognition Awards and PC Signing FY 25/26 booklet HERE
