Kabarak University today celebrated its 17th graduation ceremony at the University’s auditorium presided over by its Chancellor Dr Gideon Moi.
The University celebrated this year’s graduation ceremony which was attended by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha among the university’s key stakeholders.
The event saw 1,814 candidates conferred with degrees, diplomas, and certificates in various fields of specialisation.
Senator Moi congratulated the Class of 2021 noting that their achievement is a sign of a bright future for both the graduands and the nation at large.
“In you, we see an empowered nation. When Mzee Moi founded this university in 2000, he must have been inspired by Confucious, China’s most famous teacher and philosopher, who bequeathed the world with an all-time adage that if you plan for one year, plant rice; if your plan is for ten years, plant trees; if your plan is hundred years, educate children,” Senator Moi said.
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The institution was established in 2000 by its founding chancellor the late Retired President Daniel Moi who was also Kenya’s second president.
The ceremony is being held virtually and in strict observance of Covid-19 protocols.
According to the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Henry Kiplagat, the graduating candidates mark the highest number ever to graduate in the history of the institution.
“This is the highest number to ever graduate in the history of the university. This increase mirrors the growth in student enrollment as well as the number of students who could not complete their studies in the 2019/2020 academic year due to pandemic,” Prof Kiplagat said.
Its first batch of students enrolled in 2002. It was awarded a Charter by Kenya’s third president, Retired President Mwai Kibaki on May 16, 2008, making it a fully-fledged University.
The university has seven schools among them the School of Business and Economics, School of Education, School of Law, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Music and Performing Arts, School of Pharmacy and School of Science, Engineering and Technology.
Kabarak has lived up to its vision of being a center of academic excellence founded on biblical Christian values with a mission of providing holistic quality education based on research and practical skills.
The Bachelor of Pharmacy graduands took an oath on Wednesday in a ceremony led by the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK) Fellow Prof. Isaac Kibwage, the Vice-chancellor of Egerton University.
The oath-taking ceremony was also attended by Pharmacy and Poisons Board Chief Executive Officer Dr Fred Siyoi, the Vice-Chancellor Kabarak University Prof Henry Kiptiony Kiplagat among other top scholars.
Prof Kiplagat encouraged the pioneer graduands to cherish and uphold integrity, excellence, professionalism, patriotism, innovativeness, and creativity as they maneuver through their profession.
This adds to the university’s growing list of academic programs churning out professionals coming just a year after its pioneer student in Master in Music Education graduated at the facility.
In August this year, the university signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Cancer Institute (ICS) in a deal that will propel Kabarak to be the first institution of higher learning in Sub-Saharan Africa to roll out programs in oncology pharmacy.
The partnership will see the university develop and offer specialized postgraduate programs in Oncology pharmacy as well as to conduct research in Oncology.
The University’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Henry Kiplagat has described the partnership as part of the institution’s aspiration to enroll more Kenyan and international students in the Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses.
ICS CEO Prof Fredrick Chite Asirwa described the move as a great stride towards addressing the rising cancer burden in Africa, a continent struggling with a lack of qualified professionals.
The late President Moi officially launched Kabarak Univesity Online in November 2014 which offers online training for organizations and individuals across Africa with its main beneficiaries being working professionals and continuing students.
The Online programs have been pivotal in ensuring learning continues in the wake of Covid-19 which has limited physical interaction across all spheres of life.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) in December 2017 certified the university as ISO compliant awarding it with ISO 9001:2015 Certification.
On January 28, 2021, Kabarak University TVET Institute was registered as a technical and vocational college under the TVET Act, 2013 Section 20 (1).
The institute offers post-secondary technical and vocational education and training programs in Nutrition and Dietetics, Accounts, Procurement, Secretarial studies, Computer Science, Information Communication Technology (ICT).
Others include Banking and Finance, Project management, Entrepreneurship, Library, and Information Science, Archiving and Records Management, Music, Arts, Tourism, and professional courses such as Certified Public Accountants (CPA).
The TVET institute comes at a time when the country’s focus is shifting towards creating a pool of technical skills professionals to drive its economy and development agenda.
