18th Graduation Booklet

Abstract

This year, 2020, will go down the history of every nation as the year that the world came to an abrupt lockdown and closure of institutions of learning and of businesses to an unprecedented level. But, at the same time, the year will also go down into the records on a positive note as the year when ICT connectivity, usage and support to the growth of the global economy grew at the highest rate. During the lockdown in Kenya and elsewhere, ICT was the key enabler for people and organisations to productively work from the safety of their homes. I therefore do acknowledge that this is a great privilege to the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs to join Mount Kenya University and be a part of the online stakeholders participating in the 18th Graduation Ceremony of this university as a hallmark of the growth of ICT connectivity despite many other COVID-19 related challenges. The relevance of my Ministry’s presence in the ceremony is all clearly depicted through the theme of the ceremony, namely, “Embracing Innovative Digital Technologies in Higher Education: Excelling Amidst Emerging Challenges”. Indeed, the university would not have chosen a better theme than this one Ladies and Gentlemen, the COVID-19 disruption has pushed institutions of higher learning to innovate and adopt new ways of teaching, delivering content and administering examinations by leveraging on use of diverse technologies. We have witnessed that MKU has been leading the way in utilizing multiple platforms to ensure total success in transitioning to a fully online university as reflected in the theme of the 18th Graduation Ceremony of Mount Kenya University. For a university with a high student population, setting up the various platforms to support learning requires immense resources as well as technical expertise. I hereby wish to applaud the university management for the dedicated effort in ensuring education is accessible through MKU’s e-Learning platform and a high-end mix of different technologies, including television, video-conferencing and collaborative platforms. Technology has also enabled the university staff to undertake administrative responsibilities and support core business without significant disruptions. More specifically, it is noteworthy to appreciate the combination of technologies that have been put together in preparation and conduct of today’s graduation ceremony. I congratulate the graduands on making it this far as I also welcome them to the world of work. To the parents, guardians, university lecturers, University Management as well as all the stakeholders, I also pass my congratulations to you all as this is a testimony of the teamwork and dedication in ensuring that our sons and daughters get through their education up to this point.