A five-day programme Leadership Programme for Heads of Universities held from 3–7 August 2026, brought together leaders from Masinde Muliro, Laikipia and Maseno universities placing leadership at the intersection of strategy, governance, communication, people and performance.

At the successful conclusion of the program that took place at Kenya School of Government (KSG) Mombasa, Campus Director Dr. Fred Mukabi, noted that the task confronting university leaders goes beyond stewarding existing institutions; it calls for the foresight and courage to shape their future relevance and impact.

“Leadership is not simply about managing what exist but about having the courage to imagine what the institution should become and the discipline to build the systems, people and culture that will take it there,” said Dr. Mukabi.

This philosophy ran through a programme that deliberately moved from contemporary leadership and strategic thinking to corporate governance, communication, high-performing teams and performance management.

Universities are no longer simply centres of teaching – they are producers of human capital, engines of research and innovation, partners in economic development and incubators of the people who will eventually occupy Kenya’s public institutions, industries and professions.

The quality of their leadership therefore has consequences far beyond the campus gates.

Dr. Hezron Nyagaka Nyamwega, Registrar, Administration and Human Capital at Laikipia University and Class President, captured the participant perspective by underscoring the value of bringing senior university leaders together to challenge assumptions and reflect on the realities of institutional leadership.

His perspective reinforced that leadership development is most powerful when experience becomes shared institutional knowledge.

The sessions on leading and developing high-performing teams were particularly significant, recognising that no university leader can transform an institution alone.

If an institution depends entirely on one individual, leadership has created dependence. If systems are stronger, teams are more capable and performance continues after transition, leadership has created institutional resilience.

For Kenya, this makes university leadership more than an administrative concern – an investment in national capacity. And the most consequential leadership decision may ultimately be what today’s leaders choose to leave behind.

This programme reflects KSG’s expanding role in leadership development, extending its capacity-building mandate to include the leadership of institutions that shape the nation’s future, including universities.