FRESH STUDENTS: “Make the Best Out of this Opportunity” Says Vice Chancellor

MMUST held a week-long orientation of the newly enrolled first year students to acquaint them with university operations and procedures, from 27th September to 2nd October 2018. At the climax of the event, speakers drawn from the entire academic and non-academic departments, took the freshmen through experiences of an ideal MMUST student as a universal player.

In his address, the Vice Chancellor Prof Eng. Fred Otieno urged the young and energetic students joining MMUST to utilize the opportunity of being in this great university for the betterment of their lives. Prof Otieno advised them to remain focused by engaging in activities that could add value to their wellbeing. He reminded them that they are the custodians of their own destiny after moving away from their parents and teachers. “Being at the university is being in a free environment unlike the secondary schools and parents homes where you have come from. It is left to you to decide on how to organize your time by balancing between academics and social life” he said. Among the over three thousand (3000) students enrolled this year, are the pioneer students of the recently accredited School of Medicine that has greatly raised expectations regionally, nationally and beyond.

MMUST has been steadily growing in provision of excellent university education, training and research, with focus in building a competitive populace through technology and innovation. Students in this university have also excelled in various areas including sports and other extra-curricular activities. Besides, MMUST has been cultivating leadership ideals through Masinde Muliro University Students Organization (MMUSO), whose current President is Mr. Clifton Kisera with his Deputy Ms. Esther Nyaboke, the Secretary General Julius Musau and the Secretary Sports and Entertainment Bahati Mong'are.

The Fresh students will also have opportunities to engage in local tourism by visiting the tropical Kakamega Forest that hosts a variety of rare wildlife such as the Colobus Monkey and the Giant Blue Turaco, while also visiting the famous Crying Stone. Apart from Bullfighting, they will also get opportunities to be entertained by the Isukuti Dance practiced by the local Isukha and Idakho communities, which has been recognized by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as an Endangered Cultural Heritage.The Fresh students will also have a lifetime opportunity to attend the first ever Mashujaa Day celebrations held in Kakamega, which honors all Kenyan Heroes, presided by His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta and H.E. Governor Wycliffe Oparanya among other dignitaries, on 20th October 2018, at the modernized Bukhungu Stadium adjacent to the university. President Kenyatta and his Government has been focusing on improving livelihoods and the economy through the Big Four Agenda of Enhancing Manufacturing, Food Security and Nutrition, Universal Health Coverage and Affordable Housing. MMUST through training, research and innovation, is a key institution of higher learning posed to drive this Presidential Big Four Agenda.

MMUST and John Hopkins University Network on Adolescent Reproductive Health

MMUST and The John Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynaecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO) have laid strategies for utilizing various health facilities to provide free adolescent reproductive health services. The joint mission has brought on board various key players in the health sector, including the County Government of Kakamega, Family Health Options Kenya (FHOK), Aphia Halisi, Maendeleo ya wanawake, Great Lakes University of Kisumu (GLUK), European Society for the Study of Human Evolution (ESHE), Bukura Agricultural College, Kenya Medical Training Colleges among others.
In a stakeholders meeting held at the Golf hotel in Kakamega on 27th September 2018, the Executive Dean for the School of Nursing, Prof. Col (Rtd) John M.O. Okoth said the network could help address many challenges faced by adolescents in Kenya. He said the university is committed in working with the community to uplift the lives of the youth by imparting relevant skills. Focusing on the Presidential Big Four Agenda on universal health care, he urged the community to take advantage of MMUST health-related programs and guide their children to enrol into the Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.
MMUST staff present in the meeting included Director Career Services, Dr. Teresa Akoth, Director Corporate Communications and Marketing, Dr. Dennis Ochieno, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Patrick Wanguche, Community Liaisons Officer, Mr. Oscar Waswa, and the activity coordinators Roseline Abalabwa and Grace Olwenyo. Other participants included Beatrice Kwachi (JHPIEGO), Felistus Ekutu (Ministry of Health), and Richard Nyamai, the deputy County director of public health in Kakamega County. Participants thanked JHPIEGO for providing resources towards the meeting and other related activities.

MMUST Technologists to Play a Key Role in TVET

MMUST technologists have positively welcomed the move by the University management to advance TVET programmes as a way of enhancing skilled manpower and creating opportunities for self-employment. This was during a workshop on ‘The Role of Technical Staff in Enhancing Capacity in Teaching, Training, Research and Innovation, held at the Busia Agricultural Training Centre from 25th - 26th of July 2018. “This is an opportunity for technologists to exploit their full potential through TVET-based programmes,” said Mr. Nicholas Kitungulu, a Senior Technologist in the Department of Biological Sciences.

While addressing the technologists, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Eng. Fred Otieno challenged the technologists to be at the forefront of research and innovation. “In the developed world major innovations are actualized by technologists because these are the people who spend most of their time in laboratory and workshops,” he said.

MMUST Strategizes on Enhancing Career Opportunities for Students and Alumni

MMUST through the Directorate of Career Services has increased efforts to implement strategies that will ensure students and alumni are economically viable with enhanced career opportunities, locally and globally. This was during a workshop organized by the MMUST Careers Management Board that worked towards aligning the MMUST Career Policy to the recent Government Strategy document, at the Busia Agricultural Training Center, on 22nd and 23rd August, 2018. The University’s Director of Career Services, Dr. Teresa Okoth, said that MMUST was the second public university to establish a Career Service Centre, even before the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education Amb. (Dr) Amina Mohamed officially unveiled the National Office with its Career Services Guidelines in Kenya. 

During the Busia workshop, Professor Caren Ouma, an expert in Management and International Business from the United States International University (USIU), said that the Directorate of Career Services, by harmonizing the MMUST policy to the Government Strategy document, will help strengthen linkages between MMUST and various economic sectors locally and globally, which would greatly benefit students and alumni. The Chair of MMUST Career Services Board, Dr. Nicholas Ombachi, urged the team and the University at large to work towards strengthening the Alumni Office to increase opportunities for students and alumni in the highly competitive world.

Agricultural Experts Educate Farmers at KALRO Open Day

MMUST agricultural experts participated in the recent KALRO Farmers Open Day dubbed Promoting Innovation Technology in Agriculture and Trade for Food security and Commercialization, in Kakamega County on 17th August 2018. This is an activity that is carried out with the aim of educating and sensitizing farmers on current technologies and innovations.

Tamasha Propels MMUST towards Global Multi-Cultural Hub

The growing demand for higher education amidst forces of internationalization transforms universities into global villages. MMUST, the key institution of higher education in Western Kenya, finds itself at the convergence of various cultures from the forty-two counties of Kenya, with a growing international population from Africa and beyond. In order to embrace cultural diversity, MMUST organizes various events within and outside the University. Most important is the week-long Tamasha event that showcases the cultural heritage of Kenya among other nationalities. The theme of this year’s Tamasha festival held in July was ‘Promoting Cultural Diversity to Enhance Peace and Unity’.

Tamasha brings people together irrespective of age, gender, culture or race. Students exhibit their cultural practices, which are showcased through different kinds of foods, attire and lifestyle. MMUST is also located at the core of the Isukha and Idakho Luhya sub-tribes, whose famous Isukuti dance has been listed by UNESCO as endangered cultural heritage. Bullfighting tournament comes as the climax of the event, amidst roaring Isukuti drums and horns, with highly charged fans. While attending bullfighting event, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Eng. Fred Otieno urged students and members of community to embrace diversity and culture by passing it on to the next generation for preservation, as culture is the tool of identity.

MMUST Strengthens Capacity for Innovation through IPR Training

MMUST is on the path to strengthen capacity in research and innovation, which are vital components of economic development. Through a workshop on 3rd August 2018, organized by the Directorate of Science Park, Innovation and Incubation Centre (SPIIC), researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators were trained on the importance of incorporating innovation into their research activities while safeguarding their intellectual properties.

Mr. Fred Otswong’o, a Patent Specialist, explained the necessity of patenting for all innovative works, which can be compared to an open secret letter to the public. He encouraged staff to work on innovative ideas, as he commended MMUST for being among the leading universities in patenting. Dr. Roselida Owuor, an official from the Ministry of Education informed the participants that Science, Technology and Innovation Act 2013, provided for establishment of the Kenya Innovation Agency (KENIA), which funds innovative ideas that have the potential for upscaling. MMUST has elevated SPIIC to a major innovation hub in Western Kenya. The director SPIIC Dr. John Muoma said that the hub enables innovators and researchers to work with the community for better output.

While gracing the occasion, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Eng. Fred Otieno emphasized on the importance of incorporating innovative ideas into research activities. He noted that this approach aligns to the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) and the Presidential Big Four Agenda. Knowledge on innovation will empower youth with the capacity for self employment and wealth creation.

Good News: Global Centre for Transformative Education to be Established in MMUST

MMUST hosted the first World Conference on Transformative Education (WCTE) themed; Rethinking Curriculum, Pedagogy and Research in Africa. Scholars from around the world including USA, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, Cameroon among other nations, converged at the University for the conference on 26th – 28th, July 2018. The conference addressed the need for Quality Education in Africa as a component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

MMUST Vice Chancellor Prof. Eng Fredrick Otieno, applauded the partnering institutions including Ball State Universty and Indiana University from the USA, The School Project Foundation, The Bay and Paul Foundation and the scholars, saying such a conference shall provide solutions to problems facing our educational systems. He said that the conference has come at the right time when Kenyan and entire African schools are re-aligning to curriculum changes to make them suitable to the fast-changing world.

KNUT Secretary General and Nominated Member of Parliament Mr. Wilson Sossion recognized the role of teachers as being central and pivotal in bringing up a well set community. He further highlighted on the use of ICT facilities to improve pedagogy by teachers.

Other keynote speakers included Dr. Kofi Marfo from Ghana, Nkem Khumba from Cameroon, Justo Mendez Aramburu from Puerto Rico, Prof. Michael Takafor Ndemanu from USA, Prof. Serafin M. Coronel-Molina from Indiana University in USA, Prof. Daniel Baron from USA, Prof. Winnie Mucherah from Ball State University in the USA, Dr. Kennedy Bota from MMUST and Dr. Bryce Smedly from Souther Oregon University in Ashland.