Daystar University Honors the Legacy of Prof. Henry Moses Thairu

Co-founder Dr. Donald Smith eulgizes former Council Chair, Prof. Henry Thairu.

[Nairobi: 3rd February 2026] The Daystar University united in grief at the DAC Auditorium, Nairobi Campus, to eulogize the immediate former chairman of the University Council, Prof. Henry Moses Thairu.  

The late Prof. Thairu, whose final term of service as Chairman of the University Council ran from 2018-2022, passed on 25th January.

In attendance were members of Prof. Thairu’s family led by his firstborn daughter Esther Thairu and his son Timothy Thairu, and his siblings among others. 

Also present were members of the Daystar Company (Trustees) led by the Chairman Rev. Dr. Matthews Mwalw’a, the University Council led by the Chairman Prof. George Njoroge, Management Board, Senate, faculty, staff and students.

The Acting Vice Chancellor Prof. Samuel Muriithi read the tribute of the Vice Chancellor Prof. Laban Ayiro, describing Prof. Thairu as a mentor to many and a faithful servant to the church, academia and the nation.

“In him I encountered a spirited leader whose leadership was not loud but firm; a Christ-centred character that encouraged everyone around him,” stated the VC.

On his part, Prof. Muriithi eulogized Prof. Thairu as a Joshua, saying the University had lost a father, a friend and a great leader.

The Chair of the University Council Prof. George Njoroge shared personal connection with the late Prof. Thairu who was his high school teacher at Thika High School and later his lecturer at the University of Nairobi where he ignited in him the passion for science. He also stated that during Prof. Thairu’s tenure at Daystar, he helped the University resolve a major leadership crisis. He concluded by saying, “We are mourning but the same time celebrating a life well lived.

Daystar University co-Founder Dr. Donald Smith urged the congregants to look ahead to the eternal future God has planned for everyone who loves him.

The Thairu family poured their tributes to their departed patriarch, with Esther and Timothy Thairu remembering their father as a present and loving dad. They shared memories of weekend trips to the parks and how he invented and read them fictional stories. They described him as a person who was slow to anger, and whose latter life was consumed with a passion for farming capsicum and pepper. He cherished education for young Kenyans and was very happy when Professor Ayiro was appointed the Vice Chancellor of Daystar University in 2019.

Giving the sermon of the day, the Chairman of the Daystar Company Rev. Dr. Matthews Mwalw’a inspired encouraged mourners with 1Thessalonians 4:13-18 regarding believers who have died in Christ.

He reminded everyone present to note three specific voices that shall unmistakably accompany the second coming of Jesus Christ: the voice of the Lord; the voice of the Archangel; and the sound of the Trumpet call of the Lord.

“The dead in Christ will rise first, and we will then be joined together to meet the Lord in the air—reunited with our loved ones, he punctuated his sermon.

The service came to a close with a congregational prayer for the Thairu family, facilitated by Rev. John Paul, the Senior Pastor of Karen Community Church where Prof. Thairu worshipped and served in various leadership roles, chief among them as Chairman of the Board of Trustees that oversighted assets of the church and other legal matters.

A portrait of the late Prof. Henry Thairu, former Daystar University Council Chair, displayed during his memorial service at the DAC Auditorium, Nairobi Campus, on February 3, 2026.