Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology is among the five (5) institutions of higher learning that have been selected by the Constitution and Reform Education Consortium (CRECO) to participate in a program, dubbed ‘Utu Chuoni’. The program is part of the ‘Utu Mtaani’ project, which is an initiative of CRECO, in conjunction with Uraia Trust and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark; it is aimed at raising awareness on the practice of human dignity in the society. On 9th October, 2024, delegates from CRECO, led by the Executive Director-Mr. Joshua Changwony, engaged students from the School of Arts and Social Sciences (SASS) in discussions about national values as well as the various aspects of Utu. The event was organized by the Dean-SASS, Dr. Rose Auma, in collaboration with the Directorate of Corporate Communications and Marketing (DCCM).
Prior to the event, the CRECO team paid a courtesy call to the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Moses Poipoi, who said that the ‘Utu Mtaani’ project is in line with the University’s mandate of transforming the society through community outreach. “As an institution that recognizes the significance of national values, we are grateful to have been selected for this program and we look forward to learning from you,” stated Prof. Poipoi.
CRECO Kenya Executive Director-Mr. Joshua Changwony gives his presentation during the Utu Chuoni exercise at MMUST.
Commending CRECO, Dr. Auma hailed the initiative, saying that Utu is an African philosophy that places the dignity and livelihoods of the citizens at the center of all policies, creation and distribution of wealth and development planning.
In his presentation, Mr. Changwony noted that the program targets the youth, women and marginalized groups, in an effort to ensure that all voices are heard in the civic space. “The main objective of the Utu Mtaani project is to spur conversations that promote national pride, sense of unity, ethnic harmony and national culture of respect for human dignity,” said the CRECO expert. On her part, the project’s lead at CRECO, Ms. Mercy Wangui, pointed out that there is a lot of erosion of values in the society. She added, “cases of femicide have been on the rise and we have also witnessed an infodemic of false and misleading information spreading throughout the country. As a result, CRECO decided to create awareness on the need to uphold human dignity, especially among the youth as they are the leaders of tomorrow.” Other members of CRECO present during this exercise were Mr. Duncan Maigua and Mr. Benard Kitonga.
CRECO’s Ms. Mercy Wangui at the event.
Other MMUST staff that participated in the CRECO activity included; the Director of International Relations and Academic Linkages (DIAL), Dr. Umulkher Ali, Associate Dean SASS-Dr. David Barasa, Chairperson-Department of Criminology and Social Work, Dr. Evans Oruta, and Mr. Oscar Waswa-representing the Dean of Students.
The Utu Chuoni program represents a significant step towards building a well-informed citizenry. By prioritizing constitutional education in learning institutions, CRECO aims to nurture future leaders who are committed to upholding democratic values and advocating for their communities.
By Linet Owuor and Wangari Wambugu
Photos by Steven Omondi
