MUBAS
MUBAS
School of Built Environment
SOBE
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Executive Dean, SoBE
Dr Witness Shaibu Kuotcha
The Office of the Executive Dean, School of Built Environment provides the strategic academic and administrative leadership for the School of Built Environment. Acting as the chief academic and operational officer, the Executive Dean reports directly to the Deputy Vice Chancellor and is responsible for leading the Heads of Academic Departments and Centre Managers within the school.

PREng. Dr. Witness Shaibu Kuotcha is a distinguished Professional Civil Engineer registered with the Malawi Engineering Institution (MEI). He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow; a Master of Science in Urban Infrastructure Engineering and Management from IHE Delft, Netherlands; and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Malawi.


Dr. Kuotcha brings a wealth of experience in academic leadership, professional practice, and public service. He currently serves as the Executive Dean of the School of Built Environment. Prior to this appointment, he held several senior positions within the university, including Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Engineering (2019–2022), Head of the Department of Civil Engineering (2005–2008), and Head of the Department of Mining Engineering (2014–2018). Earlier in his career, he also served as Regional Controller of Works in the Ministry of Transport and Public Works (1997–1999).


In addition to his university leadership roles, Dr. Kuotcha has contributed significantly to the governance and development of Malawi’s construction and infrastructure sectors. He served as Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the National Construction Industry Council (NCIC) from 2018 to 2020, and he is currently a member of the Projects and Policy Review Committee of the National Planning Commission, a position he has held since 2020.


Dr. Kuotcha’s research and professional interests lie in the areas of transport systems and land use planning, traffic management, and transport policy. He has published several papers in reputable international journals and conference proceedings. Over the course of his career, he has also undertaken numerous consultancy assignments in civil engineering, contributing to the design, planning, and management of key infrastructure projects in Malawi and beyond.


Full Biography – Executive Dean, SoBE
0111871637
wkuotcha@mubas.ac.mw

Background

The School of Built Environment is responsible for transferring knowledge and skills in the management of land and man- made environment, which includes roads, buildings, and town planning, among others. Specifically, the School is responsible for teaching, learning, research, consultancy, and outreach services in areas of land surveying, physical planning, land economy, quantity surveying and architecture to produce accomplished professionals in the aforementioned specialities. All the programs in the school are housed at Chichiri Campus.

Academic Members of Staff 

Besides teaching, most of the academic members of staff are also active in the real estate sector, broadly defined. They consult for individuals, companies, and even the government, and are also active in conducting academic and professional research. This, then, means that there is cross-pollination of knowledge between the professional and academic. Students are taught to use the most sophisticated surveying tools used in the industry, such as GPS receivers, drones, GIS, 3D scanners, and surveying software. It is no exaggeration to say that the professional and academic work carried out by members of this school is among the most impactful at the university.