By Agnes Mwangi
Egerton University hosted a team from the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) on 16 June 2026 as part of an assessment linked to the University’s application to host beneficiaries under Phase II of the East African Community Scholarship Programme.The team paid a courtesy call to the Vice Chancellor before undertaking an on-site verification exercise. It comprised Prof. Micheal Wawa, Head of the Quality Assurance and Qualifications Framework Unit at IUCEA and Mr. Elie Hakizimana also from the same organization.
The scholarship programme is implemented by IUCEA in partnership with Germany through the KfW Development Bank. Following its application, Egerton University was shortlisted under two programmes: Master of Science in Animal Nutrition and Master of Science in Food Science.
The visit provided an opportunity for the IUCEA team to engage University officials, review supporting documentation and inspect facilities related to the delivery of the proposed programmes. The team also assessed student support services and infrastructure available for international students.
During the courtesy call, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics, Research & Extension), Prof. Bernard Aduda, who represented the Vice Chancellor, welcomed the visitors and highlighted the value of the partnership between IUCEA and Egerton University.
He noted that scholarships have significantly strengthened postgraduate education by easing the financial burden on students and enabling them to focus on their studies and research.
Prof. Micheal Wawa of IUCEA (left) receives a gift from Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics, Research and Extension), Prof. Bernard Aduda (right), during a courtesy call at Egerton University ahead of a scholarship programme verification exercise. (Photo by Dickens Omollo)
Prof. Aduda said Egerton had already demonstrated its capacity through the successful training and graduation of scholarship beneficiaries under previous cohorts.
“We have already demonstrated our capabilities from the number of students who have graduated through the scholarship programme. Egerton is capable and ready to receive more students,” he said.Prof. Wawa thanked the University for the warm reception and said the visit was aimed at verifying facilities, infrastructure and student support services presented in the application.
Director of Postgraduate Studies, Prof. Charles M’Erimba, said the University moved quickly to respond to the scholarship call and remains committed to supporting student success. He noted that postgraduate student tracking had been strengthened to improve completion rates and ensure timely graduation.
Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Dr. John Nduko, expressed appreciation for the scholarship support and reaffirmed the Faculty’s commitment to meeting programme timelines and graduation targets.
Director of Marketing and Resource Mobilization, Prof. Nzula Kitaka, welcomed the IUCEA team and expressed gratitude for the continued confidence shown in Egerton University.
Speaking on behalf of CESAAM, Prof. Samuel Mwonga thanked IUCEA for its partnership and expressed optimism that the University would continue attracting international opportunities as more programmes attain international accreditation.
The IUCEA team later proceeded to the verification exercise accompanied by academic staff from the departments offering the proposed programmes.
