By Patrick Amunavi
5,171 candidates have graduated with degrees, diplomas and certificates from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and the Pan Africa University of Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (PAUSTI), during a joint graduation ceremony at the institution’s main campus in Juja on Friday, November 26, 2021.
During the convocation presided over by JKUAT’s Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Mathu Ndung’u, 4443 undergraduates, 104 postgraduate diplomas, 539Masters and 85 PhD degrees were awarded.
The graduation ceremony whose theme was: Upscaling Digital Transformation in Training, Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Development, was the third to be conducted virtually by JKUAT and the second for PAUSTI since the advent of Covid-19. The ceremony also marked the 37th and 7th graduation ceremony for the two institutions, respectively.
Speaking at the colourful ceremony that was streamed live on social media platforms, Prof. Ndung’u congratulated the graduands, lauding the University for its efforts; ‘to strengthen partnerships and collaborations with industry and other stakeholders.’
The Chancellor revealed that JKUAT had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization to establish the National Assistive Technology Centre of Excellence.
The Centre, he added, “will cater for persons with disabilities, non-communicable diseases, mental health conditions, gradual function decline among other medical conditions.”
Prof. Ndung’u also said the university had received hi-tech drones from JICA and Rochester Institute of Technology as part of the institution’s determination to enhance research capacity in the areas of geospatial information systems and remote sensing for aerial monitoring of the environment.
The Cabinet Secretary, Prof. George Magoha, said, for nearly two years, COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of disruption in the education sector, adding that it has necessitated measures to ensure continued learning.
He appreciated that “JKUAT had expanded its ICT infrastructure which resulted in being ranked top in the usage of the KENET Remote Teaching Platform among Kenyan universities.”
The Cabinet Secretary in a speech read on his behalf by the Principal Secretary for State Department for University Education and Research, Amb. Simon Nabukwesi, further observed that; “The University has continued providing solutions in the fight against the pandemic by leveraging on research and innovation and the Ministry of Education has noted with pleasure, the JKUAT Hospital was rated highly by the Ministry of Health as a COVID-19 vaccination centre.”
