Ruto Appoints Dutch Professor Patrick Verkooijen as UoN Chancellor
President William Ruto has designated Professor Patrick Verkooijen as the Chancellor of the University of Nairobi (UoN).
As per the Gazette Notice released last Friday, the newly appointed Chancellor will hold office for five years starting from January 12, 2024.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 38 (1) (a) of the Universities Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander in Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint — PATRICK V. VERKOOIJEN (PROF.) to be the Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, for five (5) years, with effect from January 12, 2024,” Ruto directed.
Before the scheduled meeting, the professor held the position of Chair at the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies at the university.
Verkooijen serves as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), a global organization committed to offering remedies for mitigating the impacts of climate change worldwide.
“Together with African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, he is the architect of the world’s largest adaptation program, the Ksh3.9 trillion Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, which has already shaped over Ksh957 billion of resilient investments on the world’s most climate-vulnerable continent since its inception in 2021,” read part of Verkooijen’s profile on the GCA’s website.
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Verkooijen has collaborated with leaders at the highest levels, including heads of state and government from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States, throughout his professional journey. Additionally, he has orchestrated more than six global summits, focusing on advancing the agenda of climate adaptation.
Before joining GCA, the professor held the position of special representative on Climate Change for the World Bank Group. Additionally, he served as the professor of Sustainable Development Diplomacy Practice at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the United States.
Due to his accomplishments, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Nairobi in 2012, acknowledging his dedication to promoting climate resilience in Africa.
The individual from the Netherlands possesses a doctoral degree from Wageningen University, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard, a Master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Amsterdam, and an environmental degree from the University of Utrecht Applied Sciences.
Ruto Appoints Dutch Professor Patrick Verkooijen as UoN Chancellor