The UNESCO UNITWIN Chair at the University of Nairobi and the Director of the Institute of Development Studies (UoN) will honour Emeritus Prof. Amb. Judith Mbula Bahemuka by convening a virtual forum entitled: “Linking Scholarship to Development” on 29th April, 2021 from 3.00pm to 5.30pm EAT.

Emeritus Prof. Amb. Judith Behemuka, a teacher, researcher, diplomat, governor and an eminent person of Africa, symbolizes what sustainable development goals call  ”Pracademics” for being an all round Scholar with links that go beyond academic scholarship.

Join and participate in the forum through the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIsc-mgpjssHtWyyTNwBP5bX3AHtMkeabub

The University of Nairobi Management has scheduled a 3-weeks online training workshop for the members of the academic staff on transformative pedagogy in higher education with special reference to asynchronous e-learning mode of delivery during the months of May and June, 2021. The training will be conducted by the Centre for Pedagogy and Andragogy (CEPA) in collaboration with Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) team. 80% of the presentations/training sessions will be done asynchronously.

For those who have not undertaken this course, Kindly register indicating your preferred slot for training using the link provided. https://cepatraining.uonbi.ac.ke/

May 3 to May 23, 2021 slot (max. 200 members of the academic staff); June 7 to June 23, 2021 slot (Max. 200 members of the academic staff).

Kindly select your appropriate time slot for training before 28th April 2021 COB.

Office:            Gandhi Wing Ground Flr – Room G9

Students are reminded to register their interest for a virtual industry connect event sponsored by Goldman Sachs Engineering on Monday, 26 April 2021 if you have not done so already.

To confirm your place at the event, please register your interest here https://onegs.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d3ZvMeyDaqNLnhQ

We are thrilled to invite technology educators and leaders like you who are influencing the future of technology and building the next generation of talented engineers creating an impact in the global engineering community.  This event is an opportunity to share recent highlights from our Africa recruiting efforts with our university partners, continue engagement with existing industry partners and establish new relationships as we seek to better understand the technology scene across the continent.

What to expect?

• Welcome address from sponsors of the Africa Recruiting Initiative, Lisa Opoku and Joanne Hannaford
• A report card from recent and past participants of the Africa Recruiting initiative
• Exploring the technology landscape across Africa
• Industry partner case studies – SEO Africa | Andela
• Country dialogues –Nigeria | Ghana | Kenya 

Event Details

• Date:Monday, 26 April 2021
• Time:4:30pm – 8:30pm East African Time (EAT)
• Location: Zoom (details to be confirmed on registration)

 We look forward to connecting with you!

Best Regards,

Goldman Sachs Engineering Recruiting

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies, and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. The Tanzania Field innovation Hub complements the global WFP Innovation Accelerator based in Munich, Germany. The Accelerator has grown to a team of 50 innovators from diverse backgrounds. WFP believes that new ideas and disruptive approaches are crucial to getting closer to achieving #zerohunger. To this end, WFP’s first Field Innovation Hub (the Hub) was established in Tanzania in 2017. Now in its fourth year, the Hub has laid the groundwork for catalyzing Tanzania’s innovation ecosystem and changing the way WFP approaches both current and future operations. The Tanzania Filed Innovation hub works very closely with the Accelerator and the Country Office team in Tanzania to deliver on its objectives.

The Tanzania Field Innovation Hub is participating in the WFP international internship program which seeks to recruit motivated and qualified candidates to fill positions of the 2021 Policy and Programme Department (PD) Internship Programme from universities across the globe. The program aims to offer the selected candidate(s) a chance to understand WFP’s overall operations and gain first-hand exposure to practical use of innovation methodologies such as HCD and Lean Startup. More information about this opportunity can be accessed here: Career Opportunities: PD Intern – Field Innovation (141660) (successfactors.eu)

The internship position will run from June/July this year for a minimum of 3 months and up to 8 months. The selected intern will be based either in Dar es Salaam or work remotely depending on the pandemic-caused restrictions and will be offered a monthly stipend to cover part of their cost of living. Please do note the deadline to apply is May 2^nd at 11:59 pm Rome time (GMT + 1).

Given the University of Nairobi long standing stature as a leading institution of excellence in the East Africa region and the African continent, we would like to extend this opportunity to its student body. We rely on your goodwill to share this opportunity with the respective administrations of the different schools in both the undergraduate and graduate programs whose student profiles will be interested in working in the humanitarian context

What else can I say about this eventful two day journey. KIPPRA stands for The Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, basically they advise the government and other organizations on all matters public policy. Think along the lines of The Big Four agenda and Vision 2030. There were some recognizable names in attendance during this momentous occasion; The Dean of Students for the University of Nairobi, Dr. Linda Mutua the KIPPRA Chair, Mr. Fred Simiyu who served as a representative of the KIPPRA board. This was no ordinary seminar, there were students form various universities who came to contribute to the common goal of providing insights on how better to move our country forward. Students present were from University of Nairobi, Daystar University, Technical University of Mombasa, Kenyatta University and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology among others.

There were varying topics addressed in order to sensitize the youth on matters public policy and help them better understand their role in this process even on a national level. This was mainly addressed during a discussion coordinated by and among students themselves regarding the Big Four Agenda. For those unfamiliar with it, the Big Four Agenda is centered around providing Affordable Housing, Manufacturing, Food Security and Affordable Healthcare. Highlighted was what were the targets of each of these areas entailed and challenges face in achieving set targets. There was a question and answer session where many concerns by the youth were made known.

Vision 2030 was also a key discussion. What is vision 2030? How does it affect the youth? How much progress has been made in achieving set milestones? These issues were addressed intensively and even feedback was received from the audience since the main aim of this forum was to actively have a conversation on how to better the ideals set at a national level since they affect us all.

Another key issue looked at is patents and copyrights. The youth are seen as the most creative and innovative section of society hence it is vital to secure and nurture this talent to grow. To do this, it is essential to protect ideas of the youth against other malicious entities from benefitting off the efforts of others. This is done through patents and copyrights, thus it is key for the youth to understand how they work, the process to attain them and where they apply. Other outlined topics were national values and the Public Policy Making Process

Oh, and lest we forget, there were amazing presentations such as John Kotoo who presented a spoken word. Those who participated in the online essay competition were awarded certificates of participation as well as branded t-shirts. This would motivate them to continue their good efforts in furthering the national conversation on public policy.

This forum was important in order to engage with the youth as they are major stakeholders in the future of the country. It was noted that not many engage with materials containing information about public policy made available to the general public. Thus, the degree of success  of this two day journey is dependent on how proactive the youth will become in future endeavors pertaining public policy. Hence, it is vital we all contribute to this national conversation, since we are all in this together

Life on campus can be viewed as a wide spectrum, sort of like white light.

It means that campus life cannot really be defined. It is unique in that everyone who joins is starting a new chapter in their lives. The beautiful thing is, one decides what to write on those fresh blank pages. One decides what dreams to chase.

Anyone can walk through those big pearly gates on the first day and decide to chase a first-class honor. Some may get lost on the way and party each day like it’s a weekend. There is the interesting group that looks for marriage partners all through campus. Every day you pass your fellow students walking the halls of the campus, some smiling, some frowning, some deep in thought while others are tired of their own thoughts. Everyone is walking their own journey, chasing their own goals and trying to live their best lives.

The advice is  live your own life while in campus. Chase those good grades and do so with your whole heart. Do not let the party life sweep you away in the tides of entertainment. When you are burned out from entire weekends in the library, enjoy yourself with a good movie at the cinema with some friends or your significant other. There is no-one who goes through campus life without making a few mistakes here and there, so don’t expect a perfect experience. What you should strive for is a happy experience, set goals and aim to achieve them. Wake up each day happy that the sun is shining, not dreading the consequences when the moon was ruling the night.

Keep a good group of friends, those you can enjoy life with but also those who push you to be greater tomorrow than you are today. Live your campus life such that when you do don that gown and receive that certificate, you look back with a smile, not regrets. Live each day like your last, attend that calculus class you dread because you have no idea what is happening, have that date with your significant other on Saturday after a long week of classes and CATs. You only attend campus once; you only walk those halls for a few years before you have to walk out. Do not waste it wishing you had lived fuller when one day you are old and grey sitting at a campfire looking up at the night sky.