Egerton University recently hosted a courtesy meeting with the State Department for Parliamentary Affairs, led by Principal Secretary Aurelia Rono. The PS was visiting the ARC Hotel where a team of top officials from her office was working on a strategic plan retreat. During her visit, she paid a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor Professor Isaac Ongubo Kibwage in his office, where they discussed potential areas of collaboration between the university and the government.
Introducing the Council Committee in charge of Managing the Egerton Investment Company, the Vice Chancellor told the PS that the Council took a break from their meeting to host her. “This is the Council committee that manages the Egerton Investment Company on behalf of the University,” he said.
The PS expressed her admiration for Egerton University and its serene environment, which she described as perfect for high-level strategic meetings. She also challenged the university to seek partnerships and collaborations with the government to help achieve service delivery to Kenyans. In response, the Vice-Chancellor welcomed the Principal Secretary and introduced her to the council.
The university management gave a 2-acre parcel of land to the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary as part of its tree-planting initiative. The State Department will plant trees in the parcel next to the "Gender Acre" that was given to PS Gender Veronica Nduva. Egerton University has recently embarked on a massive project to plant trees as part of efforts to restore the Mau Ecosystem and clean Njoro River, which passes through the university. The university is committed to contributing to the government's initiative to plant 15 billion trees in Kenya. The tree planting initiative has been a major success, with thousands of trees already planted on its vast land.
The initiative has received support from various stakeholders, which now include the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, The PS Gender was a couple of weeks ago , also given a parcel of land for the same initiative. The Gender Acre has already been planted fully, the Council was told.
“I will have a discussion right away with the Prime Cabinet Secretary and arrange on how we shall come to plant trees as soon as possible,” PS Aurelia noted. She is also an Alumni of Egerton University having studied Agricultural Economics.
She did not hide her joy over the reception by the Vice Chancellor and Council. “When I was a student, we never managed to reach the first floor (Office of the Vice Chancellor and Management), we used to pay fees from a small window downstairs,” she recalled.
The Communication Advisor to Prime Cabinet Secretary Mr. Kibisu Kabatesi, a renowned public intellectual and media practitioner with more than 40 years’ experience was in the meeting. “We intend to make this Office (Prime Cabinet Secretary Office), the go to in terms of government data and information. I suggest that we map out partnership areas and where we can work together,” he opined. He went on to say Egerton University is a Resource ‘We can tap into’ and implement our strategic Plan. Kabatesi requested the VC to allow the Office of the Prime CS to use ‘your resource to implement our Strategic Plan.’
The Head of Resource Mobilization and Capacity building in the Prime CS office said she is open to engaging and partnering across government. “We have seen an opportunity in the University to engage deeper, especially in the areas of capacity building,” Anne said.
The meeting was a success, and both the university and the State Department for Parliamentary Affairs hope to continue collaborating in the future to achieve common goals. The PS highlighted the importance of consulting work for government projects and programs, and suggested that university dons could engage in such consulting to assist the government in service delivery to Kenyans.
The Vice-Chancellor was accompanied by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Affairs Professor Benard Aduda and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration Planning and Development Professor Richard Mulwa, Director Marketing and Resource Mobilization and Agro-Science Park Professor Paul Kimurto, Alumni Coordinator Dr Hillary Chakava. ARC Hotel Manage Thomas Ruto.
He expressed his enthusiasm for the idea of collaboration, stating that the university was committed to contributing to the government's efforts towards sustainable development and environmental conservation. He also noted that the university had already embarked on a massive tree-planting exercise as part of its commitment to restoring the Mau Ecosystem and cleaning Njoro River.
The partnership between Egerton University and the State Department for Parliamentary Affairs is expected to yield positive results in terms of sustainable development and environmental conservation. The university has always been at the forefront of promoting sustainable development, and this partnership will only enhance its efforts.
The PS's visit to Egerton University also provided an opportunity for the university to showcase its commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable development. The university has been actively involved in various environmental conservation initiatives, including tree planting, waste management, and renewable energy.
By Kurian Musa
Directorate of Marketing and Resource Mobilization
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