Dr. Solomon Nzyuko was born on November 4, 1962. Solomon was the seventh child of Tabitha and the late Samuel Nzyuko. At a young age, Solomon was sent alongside his older brother, Dan, to live with their grandmother at Kalama.
There, Solomon started school at Mulaani Primary School, where he completed elementary and middle school. His siblings took turns to visit him, and he would also visit the family home at Mang'auni. After Primary School at Mulaani, he proceeded to Kalama Secondary school, and then transferred to Mua Hills Secondary School. Solomon excelled academically at Mua Hills, and after graduating was accepted at the prestigious Cardinal Otunga High School, Mosocho, for his advanced level (Form 5-6) education.
Solomon then joined the University of Nairobi, where he earned his undergraduate degree in Social Work in 1987, and a master's degree in Sociology in 1993. In 1993, Solomon also earned a certificate in Epidemiology from the University of California-San Francisco. A consummate scholar, Solomon earned another certificate in Scientific Writing, again, from the University of California-San Francisco in 1996.
In 2015, Solomon successfully defended his dissertation — Understanding the
Experience of Kenyan
Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) in
Strategic Planning,
Monitoring and
Evaluation, and was conferred with his doctorate degree. Thereafter, he was known to his family and friends as Daktari.
Solomon's academic and work accomplishments were herculean. He has been a project officer with African Medical and Research
Foundation (AMREF) where he was the core social scientist responsible
for initiating and running the HIV and AIDS project for the hard-to-reach
populations along the Trans-Africa Highway; Senior Projects Officer, AMREF, where he rose to the rank
of a projects manager. Solomon also served as the Regional Program Manager for Lutheran
World Relief – East and Southern Africa Region (LWR-EARO) in
charge of programming in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Eritrea,
Sudan, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe; Served as the
Africa Director, HIV and AIDS, Lutheran World Relief, in charge of
Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, Zambia, Namibia, Burkina
Faso, Niger, and Mali; and was the Regional Representative, Lutheran
World Relief, Eastern Africa, responsible for the organization in Kenya,
Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, Zambia, and Namibia.
At the time of his passing, he was a leading consultant in monitoring, evaluation and program management.
In his consulting endeavors, he had been a lead consultant in
monitoring, evaluation and strategic planning for diverse agencies in
Africa, including: World Bank Group; Impact East Africa; AMREF;
ADRA; FAO; Women Enterprise Fund, Kenya; Kenya Coastal Development Programme; Save the Children UK; Centre for Law and
Research International (CLARION); and Danish Refugee Council.
Solomon was the Director, Daystar University Leadership and Development Institute.
He was a skilled professional in training and enhancing professional growth
and development, and participatory learning; he also conducted tailor-made training
in strategic planning and management, in addition to carrying out corporate consultancies. He coordinated research and teaching at DLPDI and the School of Human and Social Sciences. Solomon was also engaged in
curriculum development, and review and implementation; development of
new programs in the institute; identification, initiation and management of partnerships, and taught diverse courses at the bachelors, masters and PhD levels.
Solomon was a full member of the Evaluation Society of Kenya; a member of
CLARION; and a member of Uttermost Evangelistic Team.
Solomon was also a member of the board of directors of the Africa Institute of Deaf Studies and Research.
An academic of no mean stature, Solomon was well-published. His publications included refereed journal articles, and conferences and seminar papers. He was a much-sought-after and revered speaker and presenter at academic symposia.
At Daystar University, Solomon regularly taught Monitoring and Evaluation Design and
Implementation Techniques; Advanced Social Research; Advanced
Qualitative Research Methods; and Participatory Monitoring and
Evaluation. Some of Solomon's published work is accessible through Research Gate
