Lieutenant General David Tarus has today, officially assumed office as the 4th National Defence University-Kenya (NDU-K) Vice-Chancellor (VC) following his appointment by H.E Dr. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, Commander-In-Chief of the Defence Forces and Chancellor of NDU-K. He takes over from Lieutenant General Jimson Mutai.

During the handover ceremony, held at the University Seat in Lanet, Nakuru County, the incoming VC was apprised of the roles and strategies that have steered the ever-growing stature of the University and which have enabled the efficient execution of its mandate. He was also briefed on the current strategic engagements and key achievements, which include accreditation of new academic programmes and a growing portfolio of partnerships and collaborations, amongst others.

In his remarks, the incoming VC, hailed his predecessor for the commitment, hard work and resilience throughout his tenure, committing to promote and expand the existing capacities and partnerships to enhance self-reliance, and harness opportunities to shape policy and strategy-making discourse within the institution.

He encouraged the University staff to uphold continuous education culture to widen their skills and knowledge in their respective fields of expertise, noting that important opportunities abound to those willing to aspire to greater heights in acquiring new knowledge through further studying. 

He further implored the University staff to embrace teamwork, support one another and let synergy be their greatest asset noting that ever-evolving and complex security environment requires innovative thinking, teamwork and mutual collaboration.

“As a premier defence university we will continue to be a hub for multi-domain learning. Let’s continue to foster synergy between the military, academia, policymakers, law enforcement, intelligence and the civil sector, creating a rich ecosystem of cross-cutting ideas and strategic thought,” he said.

Outgoing VC, lauded the University fraternity for the unwavering support they gave him during his tenure and encouraged them to extend the same unwavering support to the incoming VC to enable the successful achievement of the University’s set objectives.He highlighted the great progress in upgrading the university’s programs, growing number of the colleges, continuous alignment of the curriculum to the contemporary security environment, improvement of human capital and learning facilities as well as expansion of networks.

The Change of Guard ceremony was attended by the Deputy Vice-Chancellors,Directors, Heads of Departments, Officers, faculty members,and Service Members.

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