The Governing Body is the managing and decision-making organ of the University of Kigali. It is responsible for governance, leadership, strategic vision and planning, annual activity plans and budgets, performance assessment, executive human resources, and property management. The University Governing Body provides annual activity reports to the Minister of Education. The complete responsibilities and powers of the University Governing Body can be found in the Rwanda Law No 010/2021 of 16/02/2021.
The Governing Body is the managing and decision-making organ. It has absolute powers regarding governance and leadership, executive human resources and property management of University of Kigali. The University Governing Body’s complete responsibilities are listed below:
Mr. Philibert Afrika
Mr. Philibert Afrika is a seasoned Development Economist with extensive experience in financing for development, project management, and strategic policy formulation. Over a distinguished 30-year career with the African Development Bank, he held several high-ranking positions, including Secretary General, Director of Policy, Director of Operations, and Director of Regional Integration.
Mr. Afrika holds a Master’s Degree in Monetary Economics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He has also completed various professional training programs at prestigious institutions, including the Executive Management Development Program at Harvard Business School.
Throughout his career, Mr. Afrika has travelled extensively across Africa and beyond, gaining significant global exposure to higher education institutions. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the University of Kigali, firmly believing that quality education is crucial for nations’ economic and social development. His passion and commitment are geared towards making the University of Kigali a Center of Excellence, providing students with knowledge and skills that meet the demands of the labour market.
Mr. Afrika emphasizes, “As promoters and founding members, we are dedicated to being judged by our results
Prof. Danson has over 30 years of Academic and Industrial Experience in Finance, Accounting, Audit Risk and Business Management. Having worked at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa for over 12 years and other Universities within and outside Kenya, he has acquired the ethos, experience and expertise required to promote and oversee Quality Teaching and Learning in Higher Learning Institutions, University Research and Innovations, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and Networking, which are the core functions of a University.
He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in Finance from Gulu University, a Public University in Uganda. He also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree with a Double Major Specialization in Accounting and Finance from University of Nairobi, Kenya and a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) Accounting Option Degree from University of Nairobi, Kenya. He is a Registered and Practicing Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK), a Registered and Practicing Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda (ICPAR) and a Registered Member and Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of United Kingdom (ACCA-UK), with an Advanced Diploma in Accounting from the same Association.
He has taught and supervised research project/theses for Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs. Additionally, he has taught Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Finance and Accounting courses and supervised several PhD candidates. Prof. Danson has acted on several occasions as Director of Graduate School of Business at Catholic University of Eastern Africa and has conducted research and published widely in peered and referred Finance and Accounting journals and articles. He has attended many international conferences and workshops and has been an External Examiner for Mount Kigali University, Rwanda.
Prof. Danson is also a Registered and Practicing Member of the Institute of Certified Investment and Financial Analyst of Kenya (ICIFA), a Registered Member of Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment of United Kingdom (MCSI-UK), a Registered and Certified Public Secretary by the Registration of Certified Public Secretaries Board of Kenya (RCPSB), a Registered Member of the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya (ICPS-K) and a Member of the American Finance Association (AFA). He was the Vice Chancellor and Professor of Finance at KIM University, Kigali, Rwanda, after serving as Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics, Research, Administration and Finance at the same University until November, 2019. He was also the Acting Vice Chancellor and Associate Professor of Finance at University of Kigali, Rwanda until March, 2018. Prior to this role, he was the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics and Research as well as an Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Kigali. Prof. Danson is a Research Professor with an Independent Research Firm, Institute of Research Analysis.
Prof. Ndabaga Eugene is an associate professor of education management, policy and planning at the University of Rwanda College of Education. Ndabaga E is also a visiting scholar to the University of California-USA. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy (first class/magna cum laude -Urbaniana University Rome), MA, and a Doctorate in Education management, policy and planning from the University of Bath-UK. On top of teaching, Prof. Ndabaga is the Director of Research and Innovation at the University of Rwanda College of Education.
He is also the Chief Editor of the Rwanda Journal of Education (RJE-AJOL) of the University of Rwanda—College of Education, Advisor (BAICE), and external reviewer for Compare Journal of Education UK. Prof. Ndabaga has a number of publications to his name, coupled with a series of research, consultancies, and several papers presented at conferences and seminars on national and international levels.
Prof Waithima holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Cape Town and is a Certified Professional Mediator.
He is the Director of Daystar Leadership and Professional Development Institute at Daystar University. He previously served as the University of Kigali Vice-Chancellor (2018-2020).
He has published papers in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters. His latest publication, Introduction to Inferential Statistics and Data Analysis for Decision Making has been widely sold on all continents. He has supervised at the master’s and PhD levels. Prof Waithima has attended and been a keynote speaker at several international conferences and summits.
Prof Waithima has provided strategy, leadership, and corporate governance training to many international and local organisations. He has also facilitated training in Kenya, Malaysia, Dubai, the Netherlands, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, Australia, etc.
He has consulted for many organisations, including the Institute of Certified Secretaries, Finnet Institute, ChildFund Korea, ChildFund International, GIZ, Inter-University Council of East Africa, APHRC, FHI360, Compassion International, Practical Action, Arichem Ltd, and the University of Kabianga.
Prof Waithima sits on several boards, including Vision Fund Kenya, Academic Committee of Africa International University, Stafford University College council, CITAM Christian Education and Discipleship Board, and Daystar Institute of Disability Studies. He has previously been a member of the Daystar University Council, Panafric Christian University, and the CITAM Deacon Board.
He is a member of the Institute of Economic Affairs, Bioethics Society of Kenya, and the Institute of Internal Auditors, Global.
Ms. MUKASONGA Virginie is the staff representative of the University Governing Body. She is also the Dean of Student Affairs and an Assistant Lecturer at UoK. She holds a master’s in Educational Management and Administration (MED) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE).
With 19 years of progressive work and commitment to communities in education and development, she manages students’ campus experiences concerning academic and non-academic issues. Virginie’s office helps students manage various kinds of pressure to enable them to succeed and liaises with other UoK organs to ensure their voices are heard. Virginie’s office also gathers, analyses and uses data to develop and assess programmes that impact students’ lives positively and make recommendations to the university management on their behalf.
Prior to assuming this role, Virginie worked as the Coordinator and then the Head of Department at the University of Kigali Graduate School.
