John Okumu

Professor John Okumu is a Kenyan physicist and academic administrator who serves as the seventh Vice-Chancellor of Kenyatta University. He was appointed the substantive Vice-Chancellor on 27 July 2026 following a recruitment process conducted by the Public Service Commission.

Education He joined Kenyatta University as a Tutorial Fellow in 1988. He later obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Condensed Matter Physics from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.

Career

Okumu began his academic career at Kenyatta University in 1988 as a Tutorial Fellow. He was promoted to Lecturer in 1992, Senior Lecturer in 1999, Associate Professor in 2004, and Full Professor in 2020.

On 27 July 2026, he was appointed the substantive Vice-Chancellor after emerging as the top candidate in a recruitment process conducted by the Public Service Commission.

Research

Okumu has published scholarly articles in physics and supervised postgraduate research.