Chancellor — Mount Kigali University
Prof. Egara
Kabaji
An acclaimed Kenyan scholar, literary communicator, and professor whose intellectual depth and cultural authority make him an inspiring standard-bearer for Mount Kigali University’s academic identity.
Mount Kigali University is privileged to have one of East Africa’s most celebrated literary scholars and cultural voices serving as its Chancellor. Professor Egara Kabaji brings to this ceremonial and intellectual leadership role a lifetime of academic distinction, prolific writing, and passionate advocacy for the role of African universities in shaping society.
Prof. Kabaji is a Professor of Literature whose scholarship spans oral literature, African literary traditions, cultural theory, and communication. He has taught at university level for decades, published widely, and mentored generations of scholars across Kenya and the broader East African region. His appointment as Chancellor of Mount Kigali University in 2025 represents a natural extension of a distinguished career in service to higher education.
Academic Distinction
A Scholar of Exceptional Range
Professor Kabaji’s academic work is characterised by its deep engagement with African cultural identity and its unflinching commitment to the idea that literature and the arts are not peripheral to development they are central to it. His research has explored oral narrative traditions, performance poetry, the sociology of African literature, and the relationship between culture and political consciousness.
He is widely regarded as one of Kenya’s foremost literary communicators a scholar who does not merely publish in journals, but who brings ideas to life in classrooms, on public platforms, and through his prolific writing career.
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African Literature & Oral Tradition
A leading voice in the study of African oral literature and its relevance to contemporary cultural identity, identity formation, and social cohesion across East Africa.
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Literary Communication
Prof. Kabaji's unique gift is translating academic thought into accessible, powerful communication — a skill that makes him an exceptional chancellor and public intellectual.
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Higher Education Leadership
Decades of experience at the intersection of academic leadership, faculty mentorship, and institutional development in East African universities.
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Published Author & Researcher
Author of multiple scholarly works and creative texts. His publications span literary criticism, cultural commentary, and creative writing that has shaped East African letters.
Academic Distinction
Building an Institution of Conscience
In accepting the Chancellorship of Mount Kigali University, Professor Kabaji articulated a vision that speaks directly to what MKUR is becoming: not simply a degree factory, but a genuine community of learning a place that produces graduates who think critically, lead ethically, and contribute meaningfully to their societies.
He has called on MKUR to be bold in developing research that speaks to Rwanda’s priorities, to be deliberate in building a culture where academic excellence and professional preparation go hand in hand, and to take its role in the community as seriously as its role in the classroom.
Mount Kigali University must not be content merely to exist, it must aspire to matter. To matter to the student who graduates here, to the employer who hires our alumni, to the community that surrounds us, and to the nation that entrusts us with the formation of its next generation of professionals and leaders.
The Role of the Chancellor
Leadership with Gravitas
The Chancellor of a university is its ceremonial head — the voice of the institution to the world, the guardian of its values, and the custodian of its academic culture. In Professor Kabaji, Mount Kigali University has a Chancellor who brings genuine intellectual authority to this role.
His presence at graduation ceremonies, his engagement with students and faculty, and his public advocacy for MKUR’s role in Rwanda’s development give the institution a cultural and intellectual identity that reaches well beyond its campuses. The Chancellor is, in the truest sense, the soul of the university.
