Daystar University Hosts Doctoral Supervision Workshop

Daystar University faculty members follow a presentation during a  training workshop dedicated to improving doctoral supervision frameworks which was held from June 18-19th at Daystar University, Nairobi campus.

By Timothy Oiro

[Nairobi, June 19, 2026] Daystar University, through Graduate School, recently hosted a two-day Doctoral Supervision workshop aimed at strengthening the quality, confidence, consistency, and future readiness of PhD mentorship at the University.

The workshop took place at the Nairobi Campus DAC Council Room from June 18 to 19, bringing together School Deans, PhD Supervisors, and the Doctoral Research Oversight Committee (DROC), which is chaired by the Director of Graduate School, Dr. Emmanuel Wanyonyi.

The comprehensive programme covered everything from the foundations of supervision and candidate selection to navigating the research journey, writing and publication, professional development, and final defense readiness.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Laban P. Ayiro, officially opened the workshop with a keynote presentation titled: “The Quality Covenant: Doctoral Supervision as a Strategic University Mandate.”  In his remarks, Prof. Ayiro emphasized that the quality of PhD mentorship directly shapes the institution's identity.

"Doctoral supervision defines a university," Prof. Ayiro stated, adding that the University should receive global visibility, achieve knowledge creation through its PhD students, and make a distinct contribution to national development.

He challenged the traditional view of supervision, noting that it goes far beyond simply reviewing text. "Doctoral supervision is not just reading chapters; it is mentorship through academic leadership, capacity building, quality assurance, institutional stewardship, and legacy creation."

Prof. Ayiro outlined four important roles for every doctoral supervisor:

• Scholar Developer: Building intellectual capacity.
• Quality Gatekeeper: Protecting and upholding rigorous academic standards.
• Ethical Mentor: Cultivating integrity within the researcher.
• Career Coach: Preparing candidates to become future leaders.

The Vice-Chancellor culminated his presentation by highlighting how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can revolutionize the doctoral journey. He explained that AI can responsibly aid supervisors and students in:

• Topic Selection: Identifying current trends.
• Problem Formulation: Exploring research gaps.
• Literature Review: Mapping out themes.
• Methodology: Making design comparisons and strengthening data analysis with statistical support.
• Writing: Enhancing language refinement.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic, Research and Student Affairs (DVC-ARSA), Prof. Samuel Muriithi, reinforced the theme of the "quality covenant," focusing heavily on academic standards and institutional accountability.

Prof. Muriithi clearly outlined what Daystar University expects from its doctoral supervisors:

1. Foundational Qualifications: Possessing the necessary academic credentials and area of specialization.
2. Experience & Mentorship Path: Ensuring that the Lead Supervisor is the first supervisor, bringing proven experience in guiding students to completion.
3. Availability & Interpersonal Skills: Remaining accessible and maintaining strong, supportive relationships with candidates.

Prof. Linda A. Nyondo-Mipando, an Associate Professor of Health Systems and Policy from Malawi addressed the structural obstacles that supervisors frequently encounter. She identified several systemic challenges:

• A prevailing financial gap.
• A disconnect between practice and theory.
• Ineffective and weak Master’s programs that lack research drive and alignment with advanced research courses.
• General deficiencies in research capacity and poor working environments.

To overcome these hurdles, Prof. Mipando recommended a three-pronged strategic approach:

• Developing high-quality Master’s programs that are heavily research-driven and directly aligned to solving African challenges.
• Building strong academic linkages with international partners.
• Substantially increasing institutional and regional investment in doctoral education.

Dr. Emmanuel Wanyonyi presented the operational framework of DROC, anchoring it on five core institutional promises:

• Quality: Ensuring defensible, rigorous scholarship.
• Confidence: Creating clear paths so both supervisors and candidates know exactly what is expected and how it will be evaluated.
• Consistency: Holding every candidate to identical standards and milestones.
• Integrity: Verifying original authorship at every single quality stage.
• Future Readiness: Engaging responsibly with AI and embracing open scholarship.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Wanyonyi thanked the participants and celebrated the collaborative atmosphere of the event. “It has been a good moment to learn, interact, and meet as supervisors,” he noted, acknowledging that the workshop provided a vital space for faculty connection.

The ultimate outcome of the workshop sets a new benchmark for Daystar University. Moving forward, the institution aims to:

• Reframe doctoral supervision as a professional, pedagogical, ethical, and institutional responsibility.
• Strengthen the early stages of research through rigorous candidate selection, project feasibility assessments, and clear expectation setting.
• Implement structured supervision tools, including milestone maps, formal supervision agreements, consistent meeting records, and structured feedback plans.
• Support candidates completely through writing, publication, internationalization, professional development, and defense readiness.
• Apply AI responsibly in the research process while strictly protecting originality, academic integrity, ethics, and human scholarly judgment.
• Cultivate a vibrant Daystar community of good practice for high-quality doctoral supervision.

Highlights from the two-day Doctoral Supervision Training held at the Nairobi Campus on June 19, 2026. Organized by the Graduate School, the workshop aimed at strengthening quality, confidence, consistency, and future readiness in doctoral mentorship among faculty members.