Brief History
The Department of Political Science and Public Administration is one of the oldest departments in the Faculty of Arts. It is also one of the biggest departments. The Department of Political Science and Public Administration offers diverse programs both at the undergraduate and graduate level.
At the undergraduate level the department offers the following programs. First, the department offers an undergraduate degree programme namely, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration that was first offered in the 1965/66 academic year and the syllabus has undergone several revisions including 1976/77 and the most recent being in the year 2003. Second, beginning July, 2005 and following University programme restructuring and harmonizing exercise, the Department of Political Science and Public Administration took over the teaching and examination of all Political Science courses offered to Bachelor of Education (Arts) students in the College of Education and External Studies (CEES). These courses had previously been offered by the Department of Government and History in the Faculty of Social Sciences in CEES which was scrapped with the “Government” component being absorbed by the Department of Political Science and Public Administration in the Faculty of Arts.
At the postgraduate level the department of Political Science and Public Administration runs three Masters degree programmes, i.e. the Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration that was revised in 2003, Master of Arts in International Relations that was approved by the Senate in 2009 and launched in 2010; and Masters of Public Administration (MPA) that was approved by Senate in June 2011 and launched in September 2011 in conjunction with the Kenya School of Government (KSG). The department also offers Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programme in Political Science and Public Administration.
THE FORMER & CURRENT CHAIRMEN DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE & PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
1. Prof. John J. Okumu 1969 - 1971
2. Dr. Samuel Rohio 1974 - 1980
3. Prof. Ahmed Mohiddin 1980 - 1984
4. Dr. Nicholas Nyangira 1984 - 1987
5. Prof. Walter Oyugi 1987 - 1990
6. Prof. Joshua Olewe Nyunya 1989 - 1993
7. Prof. Nick Gatheru Wanjohi 1993 - 1999
8. Prof. Peter Wanyande 1999 - 2002
9. Prof. Crispine Odhiambo Mbai 2002 - 2003
10 Prof. Phillip Oginga Nyinguro 2003 - 2009
11. Prof. Peter Wanyande 2010 - 2011
12. Dr. Adams Oloo 2011 - 2016