The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, University of Nairobi and Windle International Kenya on Wednesday November 18, 2020 signed a Collaborative Agreement between the three parties aimed at investing in Refugee Students’ Education at UoN.

Present at the meeting were the Executive Director, Windle International Kenya (WIK), Ms. Phyllis Mureu, UNHCR Kenya Rep, Ms. Fathiaa Abdalla, UoN Vice Chancellor, Prof. Stephen Kiama, UoN Dean of Students, Mr. Johnson Kinyua, Margaret Njayakio, Education Office, UNHCR, Snr. Education Counselor, WIK, Kasaya Bramwel, UoN Director Advancement Office, Brian Ouma, Chief Legal Officer, UoN Chief Legal Officer, Collins Omondi, Chief Information Officer, Office of Career Offices, Naomi Nyaboga and Peter Barach, DAFI UoN Student Leader among other guest from the three parties.

The University of Nairobi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Windle International Kenya have been long-term partners, albeit informally. WIK proposed to UoN to consider a formal agreement between the three parties. In discussions that followed, UoN, UNHCR and WIK realized that they could harness their diverse corporate experiences and vast operations to enhance support for the students.

Windle International Kenya (WIK) is a non-governmental organization in Kenya headquartered in Nairobi city with sister offices in other countries. With a mission to transform society through education, WIK works with the Government of Kenya, the UNHCR, Organizational and Institutional partners and marginalized communities in Kenya to provide education to all at pre and post-secondary levels.

From history, WIK’s founder Dr. Hugh Austin Windle Pilkington, taught at the University of Nairobi between 1972 and 1980 from where his humanitarian activities among refugees began.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has the mandate to provide international protection and assistance to hundreds of thousands of refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, internally displaced persons and returnees world over. In Kenya, UNHCR collaborates with the Government of Kenya operating on the framework of the Refugees Act.

DAFI is a German acronym for the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative. The DAFI scholarship program was initiated and has been funded by the Government of Germany since 1992.

During the most recent selection process undertaken from September 2019, 87 out of 245 new scholars were placed at the University of Nairobi. This represents an equivalent of 35% of the total population of new scholars. In 2020, the Kenya program targets to support 554 scholars undertaking academic programs in various institutions of higher learning in Kenya.

Currently, UNHCR, WIK, together with other partners, are supporting 158 (41F, 117M) students to pursue studies at UoN.

Some of the alumni of the University of Nairobi that Windle International Kenya, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and partners have supported are:

1. Ms. Irene Ndalo, from Uganda. She studied Computer Science at the University of Nairobi in the mid-90s and transitioned to become a senior connect engineering officer at Safaricom PLC.
2. Mr. David Bulambo Bitingingwa, from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He undertook a Master of Arts course in Communication Studies and graduated in 2011. Upon completion of his studies, he took up an international assignment with UNHCR Chad office. He relocated recently to Canada, where he works as a communications consultant among other engagements.
3. Mr. Awil Osman, from Somalia. He completed his Computer Science degree in 2014 followed by a stint of jobs in Nairobi and Garissa in Kenya and later repatriated to Somalia to serve his community as an innovator and entrepreneur in the ICT sector. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Irisehub, an ICT start-up in Mogadishu that has the experience of implementing an array of projects with partners that include UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in liaison with the Federal Government of Somalia.
4. Mr. Mohamed Hassan Dakane, from Somalia. He undertook a diploma course in Education and graduated in September 2011. Later, he pursued a degree course in Political Science between 2014 and 2017 with outstanding academic achievement and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in December 2017. He worked as a programs officer with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country office in Mogadishu. He proceeded for his Masters degree at University of Sussex in the UK.
5. Mr. Adil Anur Abdalla, from the Nuba Mountains in the Sudan. He studied a Bachelor of Science course in Geology at the University of Nairobi and graduated in December 2018. Until recently, he was working with a mining firm in Juba, South Sudan.
6. Ms. Hibo Ali Hashi, from Somalia. She undertook a Bachelor of Commerce course in Finance at the University of Nairobi. She graduated in December 2018. Upon completion of her studies, she worked as the Finance and Administrative Officer with the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology in Jubbaland State of Somalia. She is currently working as the Finance Officer of a local organization in Somalia, implementing projects in partnership with USAID and others.

These six selected alumni demonstrate the enormous contribution that UoN has made in changing the narrative of youth who have been adversely affected by forced migration.

With the signing of this Collaborative Agreement, the three parties aim to invest in the education and training of refugee students at UoN through scholarships and achieving the SDG 4 focusing on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The University of Nairobi celebrates the Founder of Windle Trust now Windle International Kenya Dr. Hugh Austin Windle Pilkington who taught at the University’s Department of Religious Studies between 1972 and 1980.