Africa University held a special event to mark both the 30 th anniversary of the institution established
in 1992 and the inauguration and installation of its fifth Vice-Chancellor, of The Rev. Dr. Peter
Mageto.
During the celebration, participants were reminded of the vision shared by Bishop Joseph Crane
Hartzell more than a century earlier, in 1898, when he stood on Chiremba Mountain and envisioned
hundreds of African young people with books in their hands, running to school – well before the
university was actually established in 1992. The Africa University Choir, directed by Tendekayi
Kuture, was one of the highlights of the ceremony, telling the history of the institution and honoring
each one of its previous Vice-Chancellors – including John Kurewa,
Rukudzo Murapa, Fanuel Tagwira, and Munashe Furusa – as well as other leading authorities. The
choir also honored the Pan-African tradition of the university by singing in several languages and
rhythms representing the various nations from where students at Africa University originate.
Another highlight was the presence of several Bishops. Addressing the assembly, Bishop Tracy Smith
Malone of East Ohio, in the United States, and member of the Africa University Board of Directors,
congratulated Peter Mageto on behalf of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church and
led a delegation of nine United Methodist Bishops who attended the celebration and inauguration.
Complementing the list of authorities attending this special event, several academic leaders were
also present, including The Rev. Dr. Greg Bergquist (General Secretary of the General Board of
Higher Education and Ministry – GBHEM), Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack (President and Chief Executive
Officer of Claflin University in South Carolina, United States), Dr. Quinton Kanhukamwe
(representing the Zimbabwe Universities Vice Chancellors Association), Dr. Fanuel Tagwira
(representing the Zimbabwe government’s Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation,
Science and Technology Development), and Dr. Kuzvinetsa Dzvimbo (of the Zimbabwe Council for
Higher Education).
The event also included the installation of Peter Mageto as Vice-Chancellor of Africa University.
Mageto, born in Nyamira, Western Kenya, received his Bachelor of Divinity degree from St. Paul’s
United Theological College in Kenya. He then earned two degrees from Garrett-Evangelical
Theological Seminary, in the United States: a Master of Theological Studies and a Doctor of
Philosophy in Theological Ethics. He also earned a postgraduate Certificate in African Studies at
Northwestern University. A Professor of Christian Ethics, Mageto is a member of the
International Association for Education in Ethics, the Society of Christian Ethics, and the
American Society of Missiology. He is the Chair of the Ecumenical Symposium of Eastern African
Theologians. He served as Professor of Ethics and Dean at Daystar University in Kenya, Deputy Vice-
Chancellor of Kenya Methodist University (KeMU) in Nairobi, Kenya, and Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Kigali in Rwanda. He joined Africa University in 2018 as Deputy Vice-Chancellor and was serving as Acting Vice-Chancellor since January 2021. He is married to Irene Mageto, a forensic
nurse scientist, and they have a son, Teddy, an aerospace engineer, and a daughter, Chrystal, a
music therapist. Addressing the audience in his inaugural address, Mageto said that people invest in
the hope that the evolving project will bear fruit, paid tribute to the previous Vice-Chancellors,
thanked supporters and sponsors of the university, and expressed his thankfulness for those who
had mentored him and prepared him for his new role at Africa University. He concluded by
introducing his family and appreciating their support.