Senate and Management Retreat Held at Travellers Beach Hotel Mombasa 31^st July - 3^rd August 2025

By Damaris Kimilu and Dr. Lydia Radoli

[Nairobi, August 4, 2025] Daystar University has adopted the D4D (Design for Delight) strategic option that is envisioned to give the University a competitive edge in the education sector.

The Vice Chancellor Prof. Laban P. Ayiro made the announcement during the Joint Senate and Management retreat held at Travellers Beach Hotel in Mombasa from July 31 to August 3.  During the retreat, Prof. Ayiro presented a White Paper titled: Elevating Daystar University’s Competitiveness through the Adoption of the Design for Delight (D4D) Framework.

Stressing that D4D is empathy-driven, Prof. Ayiro called on faculty and staff to feel for students, parents and resources under their stewardship.

“We are competing for image, reputation, and stakeholder satisfaction and therefore we must be creative and responsive to all stakeholders,”  he said.

Prof. Ayiro praised D4D as an essential strategic catalyst intended to deepen the University’s developmental initiatives and elevate stakeholder satisfaction.

“By adopting D4D, the University will develop and entrench a management framework that seeks to deeply understand the needs of stakeholders through empathy, rapid prototyping of solutions, constant iteration of feedback for continuous improvement, and creating stakeholder delight by delivering those solutions,” the VC stated.

Immediate changes announced during the retreat included moving the Department of Language and Performing Arts (LPA) from the School of Communication to the School of Arts and Social Sciences where it can thrive and grow. 

Also, the Department of Theology and Pastoral Studies was moved from the School of Arts and Social Sciences to the School of Mission and Theology.

It was further announced that the School Law will soon relocate from Lukenya Block to David Musau Mumama Learning Complex (DMMLC), in order to create room for the newly established School of Education.

As the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan gives way to the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, the VC said a steering committee will be appointed to curate and launch the D4D framework along with a dashboard for real-time tracking of performance.

“These are my personal convictions, and I give you my total loyalty and commitment,” said the VC as he appealed for a deep sense of togetherness and unity of purpose. 

Following his final remarks, the VC closed the Senate-Management retreat on Sunday, 3rd August 2025.