The newly appointed Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Prof Patrick Verkooijen, has talked about why he was picked for the job.
Speaking on Wednesday, Verkooijen said he landed the job because of the value he brings to the institution.
He said that from where he sits, he will be the link between the University of Nairobi and the world of finance.
Prof Verkooijen noted that it is an exciting assignment that he has taken up and is determined to make it work.
"Why was I appointed as Chancellor? The factor is very simple, my value add if any, is being a transmission line between the great assets of the best university in the country. The faculty, staff, technology, innovation, and the world of finance.
"Bring the University of Nairobi to the world and at the same time bring the world to the University of Nairobi. It’s a very exciting, humbling assignment and I am extremely determined to make it happen," he said on Citizen TV.
This is the first time the new UoN Chancellor was speaking after an extensive tour of the institution's faculties.
This week, Prof Verkooijen held a four-day tour of UoN's faculties and campuses that ran from Monday to Thursday, February 1.
Prof Verkooijen was appointed as the new UoN Chancellor by President William Ruto on January 12 to replace Professor Amukowa Anangwe who was the Acting Chancellor.
Prof Verkooijen will serve in his new capacity for the next five years.
“It is an extraordinary honour to be appointed by the President to join the University of Nairobi as Chancellor. I am acutely aware of the burden of responsibility this seat carries with it," Prof Verkooijen said upon his appointment.
"The University is an academic powerhouse, a glittering thread in the tapestry of Kenyan society."
Before he was appointed Chancellor, Prof Verkooijen served as the Distinguished Chair of The Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies by the University of Nairobi.
Prof Verkooijen is also the CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation, and the Ban Ki-moon Chair on Climate Adaptation Governance at the University of Groningen.
He previously served as the World Bank Group Special Representative on Climate Change.