Equipping the Next Generation of Leaders in Kenya

Few leaders have impacted and empowered their communities to the extent Dr. Jeremiah Koshal has. The two-time Regent School of Business and Leadership alum serves as a seasoned leadership and governance expert in Nairobi, Kenya, acting as Assistant Professor of Leadership at Chandria Business School and Chair of Faculty Council at the United States International University (USIU)—Africa.

He has served in public sector leadership, where he played a pivotal oversight role for multiple institutions, and has also lectured at international conferences, guided other leaders, helped develop curricula, produced key research, and supported various entrepreneurial activities.

Dr. Koshal first landed at Regent at the turn of the 21^st century after completing his undergraduate studies in Nairobi and learning more about the program from a friend studying at the university.

“I wanted to attend a Christian university in the States, one that would really teach me from a biblical perspective,” he recalled, sharing that “Regent has been just what I wanted and more, and I believe what I learned really came in handy for my life after.”

Dr. Koshal has experienced firsthand the difference an education grounded in Christian ethics can make.

“There are a number of Regent graduates in Kenya now, and we are transforming our sectors. The alumni are part of the impact that is being felt here in Kenya,” he shared.

When he returned to Kenya after completing his studies, his focus wasn’t yet on teaching. Instead, he dove headfirst into tackling some of the more pressing challenges facing his community, including injustices faced by rural communities being dispossessed of their land and improperly compensated by people looking to take advantage of the voiceless.

“The first thing I did was work to stop leaders from taking advantage of the community. I took it upon myself to hire a lawyer and stop that process,” Dr. Koshal recounted. “I was able to help get back the funds and the land.”

He also started an organization to help entrepreneurs start businesses, training boards, entrepreneurs, and leaders.

His passion for ethical leadership helped him land an important appointment at one of Kenya’s largest academic institutions.

“This is a society that has a lot of challenges. There is the issue of corruption and bad governance, so I was privileged to be appointed as chairman of the second largest public university in the country, which had 50,000 students at the time.”

It was both a privileged position and a challenge because it meant managing a big budget, which required high integrity.

“People tried to compromise the position, but I stood my ground and was able to streamline things,” he recalled.

His colleague, who also happened to be a Regent graduate, was appointed to an important position at another large university.

“We were told that they wanted people of integrity, and both of us were appointed because we both went to Regent. Regent is a place that has a great reputation and values,” he shared.

After his tenure there, Dr. Koshal went to another public university and even dabbled in the political arena in 2022. Though his career didn’t go far, he was still able to use his platform to promote the values he wanted to see reflected in society.

“We always have the challenge of good leadership, good values, and corruption. I saw an opportunity to have an even bigger influence there,” he explained. “One of the reasons I ventured into politics is because it looks like in this part of the world, we have left the political space to the corrupt, and yet we expect good results. When the input to the system is bad, how do you expect good outputs? When you have a lot of strong Christians there, you can influence laws and policies.”

As the chairman of the faculty council at USIU, he works to advance the interests of the faculty, ensuring that the recruitment process is transparent and follows the law. It has been a good opportunity to expand his reach and impact.

“Wherever I’ve been, I have made an impact. People have always appreciated that I have stood for the truth and for justice and fought for the voiceless, and I’ve never pursued self-interest. I credit all of this to God, but also to the training and mentorship I received at Regent from Dr. Mulford and others, and to the friendships I’ve built over the years. I’m thankful to God for the opportunity and for the opportunity to bring a difference to so many other lives,” Dr. Koshal shared.

Throughout his career, servant leadership has remained a central theme. All that he does is informed by servant leadership, and it is also a major focus of his research.

“It’s very difficult to practice servant leadership in this part of the world,” he admitted. “There are not many leaders who are servant leaders, but that is what we are preaching now in politics and in the public and private sectors, because although African culture is collectivist, we have become very individualistic.”

Dr. Koshal believes that servant leadership is about suppressing one’s interests and elevating the interests of others, following what the Bible tells us to do, which is to give our lives to others. He hopes to write a book focusing on servant leadership as a remedy for corruption. His vision is to populate all aspects of Kenyan society with books, cases, journal articles, and other writings about servant and ethical leadership, modeling what ethical behavior looks like.

“We are not documenting people who are doing good things. My vision for academia is that we start writing and documenting, and we dominate the media and social media sphere. It’s a place we need to dominate as Christian academicians. As we engage in this activity, we also have an impact on the private sector, emphasizing the need for Christians to be more intentional in all aspects of society,” he explained.

Dr. Koshal also envisions opportunities for collaboration and partnership between USIU and Regent in the form of exchange programs for students and even for faculty, including research opportunities, courses, and leadership training programs.

“I want to applaud Regent for its online efforts. It’s also something we are doing. I would appreciate it if we could have a more collaborative relationship with Regent. USIU is a place of values. I strongly feel that the impact of what we are doing here could be even greater.”