University News

SUMMARY OF VC’s ADDRESS TO KENYA DIASPORA ALLIANCE (KDA) ANNUAL HOMECOMING CONVENTION, 2019 The Co-operative University of Kenya (CUK) is a Chartered Public University with a special niche to provide research, training and community engagement in the Co-operative sector and associated economies in Kenya and the region.  CUK provides a variety of services including baseline surveys prior to project initiation, pre Co-operative training to people intending to form any type of Co-operative enterprises, feasibility studies, development of Co-operative By-Laws, facilitation of strategic planning processes, development of statutory and non-statutory policies to guide operations of Co-operatives, CUK-Certified Short Courses for Board and Managers of Co-operative enterprises, customer-service surveys, data collection and analysis, etc. The CUK would be happy to partner with the Kenya Diaspora Alliance (KDA) to stimulate and consolidate diaspora participation in the socio-economic growth of Kenya and beyond through research, training and community engagement in diverse areas mainly through the Co-operative business model including the current 17 Diaspora SACCOs and Investment groups. The CUK would like to subscribe regularly as a KDA partner and exhibit at your annual events based on mutually beneficial arrangements such as a Memorandum of Understanding between the Kenya Diaspora Alliance and the Co-operative University of Kenya.   ADDRESS BY PROF. KAMAU NGAMAU, THE VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE CO-OPERATIVE UNIVERSITY OF KENYA DURING THE 6TH ANNUAL KENYA DIASPORA HOMECOMING CONVENTION  AT THE OLE SERENI HOTEL, NAIROBI, 17TH – 19TH DECEMBER, 2019. “PROSPECTS FOR THE CO-OPERATIVE UNIVERSITY TO SUPPORT  DIASPORA CO-OPERATIVES AND INVESTMENT CLUBS FOR PROFITABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY”   Dr. Shem Ochuodho, the President of Kenya Diaspora Alliance (KDA), KDA members present, Diaspora Investment Club President and members present, Invited Guests, All protocols observed, Thank you for inviting me as a Guest Speaker at your 6th Annual Kenya Diaspora Homecoming Convention. Karibuni nyumbani. Mr. President, allow me to state from the onset that from the academia I feel privileged to address this important gathering knowing that the diaspora and universities like ours share common values of universality of knowledge, opportunities and partnership building for meaningful development. The Co-operative University of Kenya (CUK) sees limitless opportunities for collaboration with the Kenya Diaspora Alliance (KDA), the Diaspora Investment Club and the Diaspora Co-operatives in sensitisation of members on unexploited opportunities and capacity building of managers and board members to ensure profitability and sustainability of Diaspora investments in Kenya. Mr. President, Perhaps we all know that unlike in the 1990’s when some of us studied, lived and worked outside Kenya without organised networks with other Kenyans living in the diaspora, it is absolutely important to for me to start by congratulating all the 250,000 plus KDA members who have established over 40 associations of Kenyans abroad. It is very encouraging to note that the voice of Kenyans living in the Diaspora becomes louder and more listened to with time and there is steady progress towards significant integration of the Kenyan diaspora into the national development agenda. This is the natural thing to do given that Kenyans living in the diaspora are citizens of Kenya, have family and or relatives in Kenya and continue to remit colossal amounts of money in investments and support to their family. It is important to recognise the contribution of Kenyans in the diaspora in terms of scholarship, intellectual property, investments abroad and at home, annual remittances amounting to about KES 300 Million annually (2.8M USD), support to family and relatives back home, marketing Kenya abroad, shaping public opinion at home and abroad. Mr. President, members, guests, ladies and gentlemen. Allow me to state that The Co-operative University of Kenya (CUK) is one of the over 30 Chartered Public Universities in Kenya. The CUK serves a very unique niche of the Co-operative sector in which Kenyans living in many countries around the world have invested heavily through 17 Diaspora SACCOs and many Investment Clubs. The University has a unique mandate to offer co-operative education, research and training for various categories of personnel of the co-operative movement, government officers and the general public to serve as a centre of academic excellence in the region. The Co-operative University of Kenya is therefore critical in building the capacity of the co-operative movement which is key in the realisation of all four pillars of the Big Four Agenda – Affordable Housing, Universal Health Coverage, Food and Nutrition Security and Manufacturing as well as the Kenya vision 2030. The University is therefore working closely with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives and with the co-operative movement to make this a reality. Currently, co-operatives contribute about 45% of Kenya’s GDP and are the 2nd largest employer in the country.  The Co-operative business model has been successfully used in Kenya to build very successful investments in agribusiness (mainly dairy, coffee and horticulture), finance (SACCOs, banks and insurance), housing and services. From its humble beginnings as the East African School of Cooperation in 1952 serving Kenya, Uganda and the then Tanganyika, the CUK has accumulated a great deal of knowledge, expertise and experience in providing excellent services to make Co-operative enterprises and pre Co-operative organisations deliver value to their members in a sustainable manner. The CUK supports Co-operative enterprises and associated economies in Kenya and the region through research, training and community engagement. CUK provides a variety of services and products that include but not limited to: Baseline surveys prior to project initiation; Pre-Co-operative training to people intending to form any type of Co-operative enterprise; Feasibility studies to determine the socio-economic viability of the intended enterprise; Development of Co-operative By-Laws; Facilitation of strategic planning processes; Development of statutory and non-statutory policies to guide operations of Co-operatives; Customer-service surveys; Data collection and analysis; and, In-house tailor-made courses for Board, Staff and Members. Starting January 2020, the CUK will offer modular CUK-Certified Short Courses for Board and Managers of Co-operative enterprises and also organize stakeholder consultative forums. I take this opportunity to invite you all to the CUK Annual Conference that will be held on 23 – 24, March, 2020 at the CUK Main Campus in Karen under the theme “Co-operatives in a

SPEECH BY THE COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON, DURING THE 4TH GRADUATION CEREMONY OF THE CO-OPERATIVE UNIVERSITY OF KENYA ON FRIDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2019 Chief Guest, The Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives, Hon. Peter Munya Cabinet Secretary Ministry Of Education, Prof George Magoha The CAS MOE and PS State Department of University Education and Research, Prof. Collete Suda The Chairpersons of the university councils present The Co-operative University of Kenya Council Members, The Vice Chancellor of the Co-operative University of Kenya, Prof. Kamau Ngamau Vice Chancellors and Deputy Vice Chancellors of other Universities present Deputy Vice Chancellors of CUK Distinguished guests and leaders of the co-operative movement, Parents and guardians Our 2019 Graduands Ladies and Gentlemen I take this opportunity to welcome you all to The Cooperative University of Kenya on our 4th Graduation Ceremony as a university since the award of a charter. I am humbled to convey to you all my warm greetings and those of the entire University Council and those of the University Community. We feel highly honoured by your presence with us here today and feel quite appreciated. In the same vein, I aptly congratulate the CUK class of 2019 on your graduation today; you did put lots of effort to be where you are today. We are all happy for you and congratulations once again. Our chief guest, Ladies and gentlemen, as a council we are particularly pleased with the strides the university continues to make in the areas of programme development and research. The university management under the leadership of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Kamau Ngamau, continues to make significant strides in realizing the vision of the university to be a centre of quality co-operative training. This seats in very well with this year’s theme “Ço-operatives in a changing ecosystem” and we are particularly pleased with the number of graduands who will be graduating today with an intention of making a difference in the co-operative ecosystem.  Co-operatives around the world and in our own country require special mention and recognition due to the fundamental role they play in promoting socio-economic development. According to the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), the Co-operative movement brings together over one billion people around the world, and that the livelihood of nearly half of the world’s population is made secure by co-operative enterprises.  They provide income, job opportunities and avenues for social and economic development. In Kenya alone, 63% of the population derive their livelihoods from Co-operatives. Furthermore, the co-operative movement generates about 45% of the country’s Growth Domestic Product (GDP). It is important to mention this interesting statistics for the avoidance of doubt that indeed there are a lot of opportunities that this great movement presents for our graduands Ladies and Gentlemen, My council is leaving no stone unturned in supporting the University management board and the senate in ensuring that the quality of teaching and research at CUK is top-notch. If you move around the university, you will notice some major infrastructural development, most of which the Vice Chancellor has mentioned in his speech. It is our commitment as a council that the growth in students numbers goes hand in hand with infrastructural development. We shall continue to accord the university management the support they need to execute the university’s mandate and also put them to the task to ensure that the heavy investments we continue to make are properly utilized for the benefit of the students. We are currently in the process of sourcing for partners, under the Private Public Partnership (PPP) model, investors who will put up world-class accommodation facilities. To this end, the university in her 2017-2072 Master plan has set aside a portion of the land for putting up of the hostel facilities. Allow me to give the assurance of the university council that this expansion, however, shall not compromise the quality of the education being offered in this university. Our reputation in co-operative training, research and extension, and the products that we release to the job market compares to none and this we shall safeguard and protect at all times. Our chief guest,  We as a council are committed to ensuring that we continue to engage competent and professional human resource to meet the ever-growing and changing learning environment we have. From the improvement of physical infrastructure, to use of ICT technologies, we are aiming at ensuring that we become a premier institution of research and learning so that we can also attract the best human resource in the industry. We continue to hire persons in the co-operative academia field with the intention of making CUK a premier centre of excellence on matters co-operatives. To this end, Chief guest, we are willing and looking forward to partnering with your ministry towards the realization of improving the linkage between academic research and the movement and recognize and appreciate the critical role your ministry continues to play in this ecosystem. Ladies and gentlemen, Let me conclude by congratulating the class of 2019 for their hard work and resilience that culminates today with the award of Certificates and Diplomas and the conferment of degrees.  We send you out to the world to make a difference and to be the agents of the change we all so desire. Congratulations once more.   Thank you and God bless you all, God bless The Co-operative University and God Bless Kenya.

SPEECH BY THE CHANCELLOR, DR. IBRAHIM M. ALI, DURING THE 4TH GRADUATION CEREMONY OF THE CO-OPERATIVE UNIVERSITY OF KENYA ON FRIDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2019 Chief Guest, The Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives, Hon. Peter Munya The CAS MOE and PS State Department of University Education and Research, Prof. Collete Suda The Chairpersons of the university councils present The Co-operative University of Kenya Council Members, The Vice Chancellor of the Co-operative University of Kenya, Prof. Kamau Ngamau Vice Chancellors and Deputy Vice Chancellors of other Universities present Deputy Vice Chancellors of CUK Distinguished guests and leaders of the co-operative movement, Parents and guardians Our 2019 Graduands Ladies and Gentlemen   It is my pleasure to preside over this 4TH Graduation Ceremony of The Co-operative University of Kenya. This marks a major milestone in the history of this University having navigated herself through a myriad of challenges in the foundational stages. Allow me to also take this opportunity to congratulate the graduating class of 2019 for this great achievement. Ladies and gentlemen, Today, a total of 2,835 graduands will be conferred degrees and awarded diplomas and certificates. These graduates have been well moulded not only to fit in the labour market locally and globally but also as entrepreneurs and managers to move this nation’s economy forward. I challenge you graduands not to lay back; you have been appropriately groomed to give positive contributions to the nation-building of our motherland. Today is a testimony of your hard work and the fulfilment of the mandate of The Co-operative University of Kenya. Ladies and Gentlemen,  Any institution is a great as the partnership it has and I wish, at this juncture to acknowledge and appreciate the partners and stakeholders of the University. We as a university are committed to forming lasting partnerships as anchored in the sixth co-operative principle of “Cooperation among co-operatives”. These partnerships will help us in executing our mandate and ensuring that our products and services remain relevant in the ever-changing co-operative ecosystem. It is by creating these lasting partnerships that we shall be able together to create a formidable force in the region and globally and maintain the pole position as a leader in the co-operative movement. Our partnerships go across the various fields of training, consultancies and research and together I firmly believe we shall see the realization of the SDG’s and Vision 2030. Chief Guest, We as a university are eager to form a partnership that will see the realization of the co-operative museum that will be part of the Learning Resource Center. This museum I must say will be core to preserving our rich co-operative history that by and large has remained unpreserved. We, therefore, would wish to partner with your ministry to ensure that the co-operative movement rallies behind this great initiative by availing the necessary resources required to achieve this great dream. The University is eager and willing to have a workable formula and strategy to tap into the resources available in the over 22,000 registered co-operatives and will soon be knocking on your doors looking to collaborate on this wonderful journey. The end goal of this great institution is to become a premier institution of training,  research, dissemination and preservation of the co-operative knowledge and we are of the firm belief that the Co-operative Museum, a first in the world, will go a long way in helping us realize the same. We, therefore, welcome partnership ideas and discussion. Dear graduands, I want to make a passionate appeal to you to join the Co-operative University Alumni Association. We have had great and amazing stories that are a result of a strong Alumni Association. I am informed that the University has created an entire Directorate that is aimed at strengthening the CUK Alumni Association. Take advantage of this great opportunity to forge a partnership with what has now become your alma mata. It is through these kinds of bodies that we are able to track and trace our graduates and keep an account of the strides and achievements they are making. Feel free to involve the University as a partner in your research and consultancy work. Leverage on the experience of your lecturers to write research proposals and access funding and grants for research work and projects. My prayer is that one day we shall have a strong alumni association that is able to put up an academic complex that is dedicated to making the university better than you found it. We have heard success stories from alumni associations around the world who have put up research funds and grants and even supported needy students. My challenge to you all, therefore, is to request all of us to join and support the Alumni Association which will then allow you to make the changes, if any, you so desire. Ladies and gentlemen Finally, I commend graduands for the hard work that has enabled them to achieve what has brought us here this day. Do not take this achievement lightly. This is the beginning of your lifelong journey into the world of work and professionalism. Embrace this with vigour and enthusiasm. Channel this energy into serving humanity along the path of your life with honesty and high level of integrity. This is what is going to distinguish them from those who had no opportunity to access this privileged training that your guardians and parents struggled to get you through. Thank you and May God bless you all

SPEECH BY VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE CO-OPERATIVE UNIVERSITY OF KENYA PROF. KAMAU NGAMAU ON THE OCCASION OF THE CUK’S 4TH GRADUATION CEREMONY AND ON THE 6TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2019, KAREN AT 9.00 AM  Our Chief Guest, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives Hon Peter Munya The CAS MOE and PS State Department of University Education, Prof. Collete Suda The Chairperson, The Co-operative University of Kenya Governing Council, Dr. Ibrahim Ali, The Chairpersons of other University’s present The Co-operative University of Kenya Council Members, Vice Chancellors and Deputy Vice Chancellors of other Universities present Deputy Vice Chancellors of CUK Distinguished guests and leaders of the co-operative movement, Parents and guardians Our 2019 Graduands Ladies and Gentlemen It gives me great pleasure to be here today to celebrate the 4th graduation ceremony of The Co-operative University of Kenya and as the host, I want to take this moment to welcome you to our main Campus here in Karen, Karibuni Sana. I would also wish to congratulate the graduating class of 2019. Hongera to all of you, it is as a result of your hard work and determination, that we are all gathered here today, to celebrate and congratulate you on your efforts. I wish to also recognize our Chief Guest Hon Peter Munya, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives, for accepting to grace our graduation ceremony. Mr Chancellor Sir, I wish to reiterate the major strides this great university continues to make in the fields of academia and research. Our student population continues to grow and the 2,835 graduands who will be graduating today is a true statement of the strides we have made over the years. It is important to note that the graduating class of 2016 during our first graduation ceremony stood at 1,148. The growth, ladies and gentlemen, to almost 3,000 graduands in 2019 is commendable and is attributed to the immense dedication our faculty members have and the determination and zeal by the youth to learn and make a difference. We note with appreciation that our first Master’s graduands will be graduating during this 4th graduation ceremony in the Masters of Co-operative Management Programme. We invite members of the co-operative movement represented here through the Ministry, SACCOs, co-operatives and County Government co-operative CECs and officers to take advantage of this opportunity and register for the programme. The university has seen an increase in the number of degree programmes offered from about 4 in 2016 to the 14 we are currently offering in 2019. This only goes to show that the student population will continue with the upward growth and we as a university remain committed to giving world-class education and training. The university recently established the School of Computing and Mathematics in line with the government’s agenda of creating more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) courses all aimed at ensuring that the University continues to push the agenda of moving our country to a middle-income country by the year 2030. We recognise the importance STEM courses will play and as university commit our resources towards the realization of this great dream. The council also approved the formation of two critical Institutes: The Institute of Open, Distance and eLearning IODeL and The Institute of Technical, Vocational Education and Training I-TVET. These two institutes are aimed at positioning the university as a premier centre for the dissemination of knowledge to the huge co-operative movement via the IODeL and Competency-Based Training in readiness for the incoming cohorts of the newly launched Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) via I-TVET. As a university, we remain ever so aware that the newly launched CBC curriculum by the government of Kenya needs to find us prepared for the coming cohorts in the next few years. We are particularly pleased with the recent inspection by the TVET Authority that will enable this university to be among the first universities in Kenya to offer CBET Diploma programmes developed by the TVET CDACC. Ladies and gentlemen, We continue to make great strides in the fields of research and collaboration in the past year. Some of the major research projects we are undertaking include the 40 million Kenya Shillings GIVE Project i.e. “Gender Inclusive Vaccine Distribution and Delivery Systems for Newcastle Disease and Peste des Petits Ruminants Among Smallholder Farmers in Kenya” that is a joint collaboration with University of Nairobi, Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) that is funded by the International Development Research Centre of Canada. The project is working with women poultry farmers in Makueni County aimed at researching on the Newcastle diseases and how best farmers can deal with the Newcastle disease. The Co-operative Leaders Learning Event (CLLE) is a project with the Overseas Development Organization and will see a total of 100 co-operative leaders from across the country trained on leadership skills. The University via the Academic Division also recently introduced Microfinance as an option in the Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Co-operative Business courses. This new option is geared towards ensuring that our students remain relevant in an ever-changing work environment and giving them a competitive advantage over their peers. The development of the programme was supported by the WE effect for which we are truly grateful. The culmination of all this research work and collaborations will be at the Annual CUK Scientific Conference that is scheduled for March 23rd and 24th 2020 and shall be in line with the 2019 graduation ceremony theme “Co-operative in a changing ecosystem“. I take this opportunity to invite you to submit papers and abstracts for the conference. Together we shall continue to build on the Co-operative body of knowledge. Our Chief Guest Towards ensuring that bright but financially disadvantaged students continue their studies at the University without interruption, the University set up the University Bursary Fund Committee under the Chairship of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Affairs. So far, in the academic year 2019/2020, the Committee has attracted almost Ksh 2M in scholarships, comprising of a scholarship award from the Certified Financial Analysts Foundation worth Ksh 1.795 M for finance