The Deputy President William Ruto will today obtain the title ‘Dr’ as he graduates from the University of Nairobi with a doctorate, after six years of study.
It will be triple celebration for the deputy president who will also be marking his 52nd birthday as well as his 27th wedding anniversary.
His name, alongside six other UoN doctorate graduates, was approved and published by the university Senate last month.
Mr Ruto has been pursuing the doctorate, the highest degree awarded by a university, since August 2012.
He will graduate with a PhD in plant ecology. The title of his thesis is ‘Influence of human activities on land use changes on environmental quality of riparian ecosystems: A case study of Saiwa Swamp watershed, Western Kenya’.
#UoNgraduation Congratulations the Doyen himself @WilliamsRuto. You are an inspiration and your success story encourages and brings hopes to everyone regardless of the difficulties. May your triple celebration today proof to all that determination, zeal and prayers bear fruits…
— Chomber Abel Ruto (@kip_abel) December 21, 2018
Deputy President William Ruto (right) on the field doing research for his doctorate degree thesis.
Mr Ruto’s project was approved in August 2012 and he submitted the thesis in September.
He did his oral examination on October 24 and his report was approved on October 25.
Live From UoN Grounds.
Dr William Ruto Loading#DrWilliamRuto pic.twitter.com/3aDbx1wFfz— The Don (@The_Don_Kiambu) December 21, 2018
His graduation was approved in a senate meeting chaired by Vice-Chancellor Peter Mbithi and attended by people including Julius Ogeng’o, the acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs.
Mr Ruto’s project was approved in August 2012 and he submitted the thesis in September.
Mr Ruto has already published his work in two renowned journals as required by the Commission for University Education (CUE), the regulator.
These are the International Journal of Research in Environmental Science and the Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution.
The 60th graduation ceremony is for students from the schools of health sciences, and humanities.
His graduation was approved in a senate meeting chaired by Vice-Chancellor Peter Mbithi.
The deputy president is in the School of Biological Science.
In 2016, he failed to graduate because he had not met all the coursework requirements.
The deputy president has a Bachelor’s degree in Botany and Zoology and a Master’s degree in Plant Ecology.