By Kurian Musa
NJORO, KENYA — The African Institute for Capacity Development (AICAD) has urged Egerton University, one of its founding members, to strengthen its participation in the organisation and fulfil its membership obligations to unlock greater opportunities in research funding, postgraduate training, capacity development and institutional collaboration.The call was made during a courtesy visit to Egerton University by an AICAD delegation led by its Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. James Njiru together with Grace Ogola, Senior Administrative assistant. The delegation was received by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Kibwage.
AICAD Kenya Country Office Director, Prof. Josephine Ouma, said Egerton University has a strong community of researchers, postgraduate students and staff who are well positioned to benefit from AICAD programmes.
She noted that stronger participation by the University would help translate its founding-member status into greater access to research and academic opportunities.
“If we get fully subscribed, Egerton students and staff are very active, and we can unlock funds for research,” she said.
Prof. Njiru urged the University to fulfil its outstanding membership obligations, noting that active membership provides access to postgraduate research grants, capacity-building programmes and opportunities for institutional collaboration.
He, however, acknowledged the financial challenges facing universities and said institutions experiencing cash-flow constraints could settle their subscriptions through instalments, an arrangement approved by the AICAD Council.
Joint Research Consortium Proposed
A key outcome of the engagement was a proposal to establish a joint research consortium involving AICAD and Egerton University researchers.
Prof. Njiru expressed interest in reconnecting with leading researchers at Egerton to develop collaborative research programmes capable of attracting competitive funding.
“We can bag more funding if we work together,” he said.
The proposal was welcomed by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics, Research and Extension, Prof. Bernard Aduda, who said collaborative research would enable researchers to combine expertise and pursue larger funding opportunities.
Prof. Aduda also welcomed the phased payment arrangement, noting that it would provide a practical pathway for the University to meet its membership obligations while managing its financial constraints.
Senate Engagement
AICAD further requested an opportunity to address the Egerton University Senate on the opportunities available through its membership.
The proposed engagement will sensitise academic leadership, researchers and postgraduate students on research grants, postgraduate support, capacity-building programmes and institutional partnerships available through AICAD.
Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Finance and Planning, Prof. George Muthaa, said Egerton University stood to gain significantly from full compliance with its AICAD membership obligations.
“There are all benefits to accrue from full compliance and subscriptions,” he said.
He added that the University would continue engaging AICAD to explore practical ways of completing its subscription obligations.
Deepening University-Community Linkages
AICAD also presented a Corporate Social Responsibility proposal targeting communities around Egerton University. The initiative seeks to strengthen university-community linkages and translate research, knowledge and innovation into tangible benefits for society.
The engagement reaffirmed the longstanding partnership between Egerton University and AICAD and identified key areas for deeper collaboration, including research funding, postgraduate development, capacity building, community engagement and resource mobilisation.
As a founding member, Egerton University is strategically positioned to leverage AICAD's regional network and programmes to expand opportunities for its researchers, postgraduate students and staff. The proposed Senate engagement and joint research consortium provide immediate avenues for turning that long standing relationship into greater institutional impact.
Also present was the Director Board of post graduate studies who represented the Director Research Prof George Owuor in the meeting.
Writer is a Communications Officer, Directorate of Marketing and Resource Mobilization, Egerton University,
