Topic:  Mental and Physical Wellbeing during Covid – 19

Date: Friday June 12, 2020

Time: 2.00 – 3.00 pm

Venue: Cisco Webex online

Webinar link: https://uonbi.webex.com/uonbi/onstage/g.php?MTID=e8963feb7f320a46a1f7f6eac986e3a64

Password: tTJ4cub3Fk8

Two scholarship opportunities are available for students with disabilities to study at the University of Nairobi.

The details of the scholarships are as follows:

1. Programme for Evidence to Inform Disability Action(PENDA) PHD studentship opportunity  tenable at the School of Public Health:

Link: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/penda#phd
Application Deadline: June 21, 2020

2. Development Pathways – Krystle Kabare Scholarship tenable at the University of Nairobi

Link:https://www.krystlekabarescholarship.org/

Application Deadline: June 19, 2020

Download the scholarship details from the links above

Johnson Kinyua has been appointed as the New Dean of Students with effect from June 2, 2020. Previously, he served as the Director, Career Services, UoN in charge of students’ skills development, job placement, linking students with industry, academic advisory services, career fairs, counseling services, high school recruitments, students exchange, apprenticeship services, alumni networking and mentorship services for a period of 2 years.

He was formerly the Director of University Advancement, UoN in charge of partnerships and collaboration, fundraising and resources mobilization for 4 years. Before that, he was the Executive Director of the University of Nairobi Alumni Association for a period of 3 years.

The Dean of Students Communications team held an interview session with Johnson on his new role and below is what he had to say.

1. As the new Dean of students, what is top on your agenda?

Putting the welfare of the students first! I have a clear cut role to ensure the students’ needs in the various functions of the Dean of Students (DOS) office are addressed. The different functions of the office include career and placement services, scholarships and bursaries for needy students, counselling and mentoring services, diversity and inclusion for students with disability, leadership development for student leaders both in UNSA and professional associations, dialogue with students and improving students’ life in campus-including hostels, outdoor activities and students exchange programs among other services.

2. What strategies have you put in place to address the challenges brought about by covid-19 pandemic?

The covid-19 pandemic has brought about new challenges to students such as fear, anxiety, stress, uncertainty, limited resources, social distancing, home dysfunctions, education at home, changed priorities among other challenges. I intend to engage students through webinars both for career development and mental health wellbeing and mobilize support for needy students by reaching out to partners to support with smart phones, laptops, learning bundles, scholarships and bursaries from National and County Governments.

3. What makes you most qualified for this role?

I am well versed with the University of Nairobi at a very personal level. I undertook both my Undergraduate and Masters Degrees at UoN and I have worked with the University in different capacities making me well acquainted with the University systems. I have created great networks and partnerships in my previous work experience that should be able to open doors of collaborations with partners to support students activities and needy and disabled students in various ways. In addition, I respect the level of quality services the University is offering to students and I look forward to making a positive contribution to building and developing our students mentally, physically, psychologically and socially. Above all, I love working with the youth, my joy is to see lives changed and transformed for the better.

4. How would you handle conflict between students and University Management?

Having to deal with conflict between students and the University Management is not unusual. Just as a typical workplace setting, sometimes students may prefer certain leaders to others or have personalities that do not mix quite well with their leaders. The first step I would take to handle any conflict between students and management is to open lines of communication followed by the building of healthy reciprocal relationships with management.  I would also focus on the problem and not personalities and find a solution and not a culprit.

5. When not at work, what do you do for fun?

I love travelling locally and globally, meeting new people and learning new cultures. Secondly I love teaching and mentoring students in group forums and lastly, I love reading books on politics, economies and social transformation of societies.

6. Any parting shot to the staff and students? 

To students: Looking for a job is a job and students must do it well by developing selling CVs, working on their personal development, networking widely and working on their social capital development. My slogan is summarized by three Ds: Discover, Develop, Demostrate!

To staff: I look forward to great teamwork to build the skills of our students, support needy students, mentor our students and above all steer the Dean of Students Office to greater heights.

The Dean of Students team congratulates Mr. Johnson Kinyua on his new appointment and looks forward to his leadership in transforming the office and offering students the best service that they deserve.

About Digitalent

Digitalent is a strategic intervention by ICT Authority on behalf of the Ministry of Information Communication Technology to develop and sustain high end ICT talent by bridging the gap between industry requirements and the capabilities of the local workforce. This is in line with the National ICT master plan which underscores the need to develop a critical mass of high-end ICT skills and to develop an ICT ready workforce to meet the needs of the industry. The programme has trained over 1200 ICT graduates. The 2020-21 call for applications targets Digitalent Cohort 5 recent ICT graduates.

Eligibility

The internship is offered to Kenyan youth who recently graduated with ICT, Engineering, Education (e-learning & content development), Medicine, Built Environment, Agriculture, Law and Communication (Graphic Design, Public Relations & Corporate Communication) who must have attained a first class or upper second class honours between January 2018 to the date of this advertisement and/or awaiting graduation.

Basic Requirements

1. Applicant MUST have graduated and attained First or Upper Second-Class Honors (or the equivalent) from a recognized institution in the last two years from 2018 to the date of this advertisement.
2. Recent graduates in BSc ICT or Engineering– The graduates must have thorough knowledge in the core areas of specialization; Network & Infrastructure, Engineering, Applications Development, Information Security and Project Management.
3. Recent graduates in Project Management Agriculture, Medicine, Built Environment, Education (eLearning and content development), Law and Communication (Graphic Design, Public Relations & Corporate Communication) who have a passion in using Information & Communication Technology (ICT) to integrate the above areas.
4. Applicant must have the requisite skills to carry out research and innovation to enable the government leverage ICT for realization of the big 4 agenda.
5. Female, persons with disability and graduates from the ASAL regions are encourage to apply.
6. Be a Kenyan youth between 21 to 35 years of age Unemployed;
7. Should be willing and ready to be deployed in any government organization (MCDAs) within the 47 counties.
8. Successful candidates will be required to complete a twelve (12) months’ full-time programme running from 8:00am-5:00pm
9. Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted to attend the interviews. Depending on the core area, the applicants may be required to demonstrate technical competencies on the core of specialization prior to the interview.
10. The Authority WILL NOT offer employment after the completion of the program. However, applicants who successfully complete the program are allowed to competitively apply for any positions the government advertises.
11. Canvassing directly or indirectly, will result in disqualification.

Application Instructions

Read the instructions carefully

• All applications MUST be completed and submitted online through digitalent.go.ke.
• A duly completed application form must be submitted online; no paper-based applications will be accepted.
• Applicant should submit the correct information. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Must attach all required documents  (Copy Kenya National ID ,Passport Size Photo ,KCSE certificate ,Degree Certificate ,Receipt/ Certificate of good conduct)
• Should be willing to be deployed in government organization within the 47 counties for 9 months
• Should have demonstrate passion for ICT

For more information on the Programme click here: ( FAQs) Frequently Asked Questions

Application Deadline: June 29, 2020

 The Office of Career Services in partnership with the Unilever Academy has planned a Webinar on Friday June 12, 2020 from 2.00 – 3.00pm. The topic of the Webinar session is on “Mental and Physical Wellbeing during the Covid pandemic”.

This pandemic period has affected everyone including students bringing fear, anxiety, stress, uncertainty, limited resources, social distancing, home dysfunctions, education at home, changed priorities among other challenges. To help students cope with this, the University has planned virtual mentorship activities beginning June 2020.

To register, please click on this link https://t.co/z7MIN8VzXA

A UoN Alumnus in the Diaspora, Dr. David Amakobe, MBA, DBA, President & CEO, African Wood Inc offering Business Mentoring & Management Coaching services (www.amakobe.com)  has offered to deliver a Career Development Webinar to students on  Friday 12 June 2020  from 5.00pm to 6.00pm  titled “Never Be Unemployed:Solve A Local Problem with a Scalable Solution”  for only 100 pax maximum. Find the attached webinar poster and the reservation link. Once you register in the link below, you will get the link to join in the webinar in your email.

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=17413858&appointmentType=14690580

The Office of Career Services invites you to grab an early slot before they get filled. The audience limit is 100 pax.

The University of Nairobi has made the following appointments:

1. Prof. Enos Njeru, PhD

Ag. Deputy Vice Chancellor, Human Resource and Administration for a period of six months.

Prof. Enos Njeru was the immediate Principal of College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

2. Prof. Margaret Hutchinson, PhD

Ag. Deputy Vice Chancellor, Finance Planning and Development

3. Prof. Mohammed Jama, PhD

Ag. Principal, College of Humanities and Social Sciences

He takes over from Prof. Enos Njeru.  He was, prior to this appointment, the Deputy Principal College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

4. Prof. Attiya Warris, PhD

Former Director of Research and Enterprises has been appointed Ag, Deputy Principal, College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The Vice Chancellor made the appointments pursuant to the provisions of University of Nairobi statute No. III.

Prof. Kiama took the opportunity to congratulate and wish them success in their new appointments.

Prof. Enos Njeru, PhD

Prof. Margaret Hutchinson, PhD

Prof. Mohammed Jama, PhD

Prof. Attiya Warris, PhD

During his installation on June 5, 2020, Prof. Kiama delivered a moving speech. In his speech, Prof. Kiama indicated that in 2016, the Chancellor recommended a visitation of the university. The Visitation Panel, in its wisdom, observed that one of the constraints impeding institutional planning and management for productivity, efficiency and results at the University was the absence of a coordinated university-wide data management and access system. We therefore need to invest our energies and resources towards setting up a comprehensive and integrated data management system. This will entail reengineering our business processes and embedding the use of technology in curriculum content delivery, human resource management, financial management, student management including the administration of exams, research grants management, timetabling, to name but a few. Data will change how decisions are made, optimize deployment of resources and improve overall systemic output. In the competitive environment that we find ourselves in, leveraging verifiable data to lower decision turnaround time, to seize time-sensitive opportunities and to make better predictions to outsmart competition cannot be gainsaid.

The Vice Chancellor further stated that the University has over the years grown in size and complexity. To stay in step with the needs of the university, I believe that there is compelling need to refresh our management, administrative, oversight and governance structures. This will entail elimination of redundant and overlapping systems, processes, structures and reporting centres; inbuilding of top-bottom flow of power, resources, responsibility and accountability to the lowest levels and institutionalization of efficient decision and policy making and implementation at every level.

Going forward, Prof. Kiama emphasised that the University under his leadership now needs to embark on the path of fit-for-purpose training. “We need to relook at our university course offerings and to assess the level to which they respond to market, industry, societal and government needs as well as to weed out redundant and overlapping courses and programmes. Additionally, we should interrogate the depth of substance coverage in so far as delivery of curricula and inculcation of practical skills are concerned, integrate industry in our teaching and research, review our research exploits to encourage vertical progression in pursuit of new knowledge, standardize and laterally integrate our curricula and integrate entrepreneurial spirit and culture throughout our programmes”. Lastly, there is need to recalibrate the metrics of world class-talent and to make deliberate effort towards internationalization of the University.

To conclude his speech, Prof. Kiama indicated that he was conscious of the huge burden of responsibility weighing heavily on his shoulders. His final remarks were “I Stephen Kiama Gitahi, am neither a miracle worker nor one that possess the monopoly of knowledge; I am neither a magician nor one that can play God. I am just the leader of the band! I promise to serve you with honesty, diligence and humility. I promise to be firm and fair, to lend a listening ear to you and to your concerns and to, as much as is humanly possible, make decisions grounded on law. In return, I appeal to you staff and students to make every effort to recalibrate our collective culture and attitudes towards teamwork, upholding discipline and integrity, commitment to duty and scholarship, efficiency and excellence. With your support and dedication of time and energies in honest service to this university, we are set to reach the Promised Land and build an enduring legacy of academic excellence”.

Congratulations to Prof. Kiama on his installation.

“In faith, we will reclaim our glory and build an academic edifice that will inspire fresh hope and push the frontiers of university education locally, regionally and internationally” – Prof. Stephen Kiama, 8th Vice Chancellor UoN