By Tindi Kuchio
Chuka University has in the last three years facilitated the planting of over 5 million trees in Meru and its neighboring counties of Tharaka Nithi and Embu.
An additional 600, 000 tree seedlings have been distributed to the community and neibouring schools during a recent tree planting exercise.
Speaking during the university’s tenth graduation ceremony recently, the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Erastus Njoka said the university was spearheading efforts to plant trees as a way of minimizing its water, energy and carbon demands within its environs.
“This is also our way of implementing National Tree Planting Campaign programmes, the Big Four Agenda and Vision 2030 which aims at mitigating against climate change and its adverse effects as well as in keeping with the university’s slogan of ‘Inspiring environmental sustainability for better life,” explained the administrator.
Prof. Njoka said the university envisions enhanced integrated planning of environmental use in light of local social economic needs, while aspiring to address local, national and global environmental challenges that come its way.
It is noteworthy that environmental conservation and renewable development is the niche of Chuka University.
The VC noted that the university’s recent graduation theme; ‘Application of environmental protection strategies to mitigate impacts of pandemics also gels well with its slogan.
He pointed out that the theme was timely because the world was smarting from a major pandemic (Covid-19) that had taken many lives, destabilized economies, almost bringing the whole world to a halt.
He revealed that when the pandemic came knocking, the university came up with several strategies to curb its spread.
Prof. Njoka said the university has continued to encourage both staff and students to get vaccinated against Covid 19 and has occasionally carried out vaccination drives on campus.
The university has adhered to the ministry of health protocols against spread the pandemic.
“We’ve now embarked on manufacturing and packaging of sanitizer, liquid soap and fumigants” Prof. Njoka said.
He added that the institution had also acquired fumigating machines and handheld spray guns for use in lecture rooms and offices and also revealed that the university had adopted a blended approach to teaching and learning where lectures are delivered virtually as well as face-to-face.
The administrator also noted that the university had continued to undertake corporate social responsibility initiatives in its mandate as a Government Corporation.
“Over the past one year, we have constructed a bypass road to serve the community and the university, put up a footbridge at Mbubui across river Nithi and upgraded access road from Mucwa to Karuru,” confirmed the VC.
He disclosed that the university was collaborating with Rukindu, Nkuthika and Ndagani KK Mwendwa water projects to supply water to the community.
The institution has partnered with the Government of Israel in the construction of a mega dam at the university’s Kairini farm.
The dam will be used for irrigation in the semi-arid area and also serve as a demonstration farm of modern technology to improve food production and eventually contribute to food security in the region.
The university holds an International Research Conferences annually where scientific minds meet to exchange ideas and showcase their intellectual, scientific and technological innovations.
In an endeavor to build research capacity, the university has acquired state of-the-art scientific equipment which will be domiciled in the Science and Technology Research Park whose first phase is nearing completion.
Chuka University has also created a commendable culture of research among its staff by ensuring that annual budgetary allocation for research and development is at least 2% of the total recurrent budget as required by the national research regulatory framework.
The institution has increasingly become a choice for conferences which is a welcome development in terms of income generation and also university-community nexus.
The University Council Chairman, Dr. Julius Tangus Rotich thanked the management of Chuka University for fulfilling its core mandate of providing a conducive learning environment and experiences for the students.
Dr. Rotich said he was particularly proud of the high standards of integrity that have remained synonymous with Chuka University’s leadership under the tutelage of Prof. Njoka.
He said the university had continued with massive, unrivalled infrastructure development and student enrolment, which currently stands at over 17, 000.
Dr. Rotich noted that the university had continued to expand its curricula to match market demands and prepare its students adequately for the world of work.
“The senate has continued to develop new programmes besides revising the existing curricula to align it with the market and industry requirements. The university has also continued to recruit first-class lecturers and professors to implement the curricula,” stated Rotich.
He thanked the Government of Kenya for providing the institution with the financial support to carry out world-class capital and infrastructural development.
Development projects currently going on at Chuka University include the construction of Food Science & Technology Complex and Science & Technology Research Park.
The university is also putting up an ultra -modern library, hostel blocks for student accommodation and a mega – Administration Complex with a helipad to boot.
The chief guest during the graduation event was the Principal Secretary, University Education and Research, Ambassador Simon Nabukwesi.
Chuka University graduated the highest number of students in its sixteen- year history during the graduation ceremony that was held on Friday December 17, last year.
A total of 4, 268 students who had been pursuing different courses graduated during the highly decorated event that also saw the university award an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in Agribusiness Management to prominent businessman Peter Kahara Munga.
This was in recognition of his entrepreneurial acumen, philanthropy and charitable work that had benefitted millions of Kenyans and pulled several families out of poverty.
