Kibabii University will confer an honorary doctorate on Bungoma Governor Kenneth Makelo Lusaka at its 11th graduation ceremony on Friday, November 20, 2026.

The university said it will award Lusaka a Doctor of Humane Letters (DHumLitt, honoris causa). The announcement was made in a notice dated Tuesday, October 27, signed by Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Joshua Ondura Ogendo, and was reported by The Kenya Times, Kahawatungu and People Daily.

The notice said the university Senate recommended the award and the University Council approved it, under the institution's Charter and statutes. Kibabii, based in Bungoma County, received its charter in 2015.

Why Lusaka was picked

The university said the award recognises Lusaka's work in public service, devolved governance, education, institutional development and environmental conservation.

It credited him with supporting Kibabii's journey to its 2015 charter and the development of its Bachelor of Cooperative and Entrepreneurship Management programme. It also cited his involvement in conservation and eco-tourism in the Mount Elgon ecosystem, which straddles Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties and the border with Uganda.

The Doctor of Humane Letters is an honorary degree usually given for humanitarian, civic or public contributions, not for academic research. Kibabii has awarded it before. At its 7th graduation in March 2023, the university gave honorary doctorates to National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula and banker Joshua Oigara, at a ceremony Lusaka attended, according to the university's website.

From civil servant to two-time governor

Lusaka studied Government and History at the University of Nairobi and later earned a master's degree in public policy and administration from the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague.

He spent years in the provincial administration as a District Officer and District Commissioner. In 2008 he became First Secretary for Provincial Administration in the Office of the President, and in 2009 he was appointed Permanent Secretary for Livestock Development.

He resigned in 2012 to run for governor and became Bungoma's first governor in 2013. He lost re-election in 2017 to Wycliffe Wangamati and was then elected Speaker of the Senate, serving until 2022. He returned as governor in the 2022 election on a Ford Kenya ticket, beating Wangamati by 244,298 votes to 137,378, The Kenya Times reported.

A difficult semester for the university

The graduation comes at a difficult time for Kibabii and other public universities. On October 6, the university's Senate suspended teaching for the first semester of the 2026/2027 academic year after student unrest. The protests followed an attack near the campus in which one student was killed and three others injured, The Kenya Times reported at the time. Students were ordered to leave the campus that afternoon.

Learning at public universities has also been halted by the nationwide strike by lecturers and other staff, which began on October 2 over the 2025-2029 collective bargaining agreement. The talks collapsed again on Monday.

The university has not said whether the strike or the suspension will affect the November 20 ceremony.

Photos: Kahawatungu; Kibabii University