Speech by the Vice-Chancellor during the Official Opening of Mwai Kibaki Convention Center

SPEECH BY 

PROF. DEOGRATIUS JAGANYI, VICE-CHANCELLOR 

DURING THE DEDICATION AND OFFICIAL OPENING

OF THE MWAI KIBAKI CONVENTION CENTRE 

AT MOUNT KENYA UNIVERSITY

ON THURSDAY, 4^TH NOVEMBER 2021

Salutations: 

• Your Excellency, the 3^rd President of the Republic of Kenya, Hon. Mwai Kibaki, (Either present at the venue or following the event online)
• The family of the 3^rd President of the Republic of Kenya,
• The MKU Chancellor, Prof. John Struthers from the University of the West of Scotland (who is also following this event online)
• The MKU Chairman, Board of Directors, Prof. Simon Gicharu,
• The MKU Co-Founder and Board Member, Dr. Jane Nyutu,
• The MKU Chairman, University Council, Prof. David Serem,
• The Pro-Chancellor of Mount Kenya University and Vice-chairman of the Council, Dr. Vincent Gaitho,
• Members of the University Council,
• Members of the University Management Board and the Senate of Mont Kenya University,
• Distinguished, invited Guests,
• All the persons following this event online,
• Staff and Students,
• Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good Morning to you all.

I am delighted to take this opportunity to welcome each one of you to Mount Kenya University.To our Chief Guest, and to the Family of the 3^rd President, and all the guests, we are happy to have you here at MKU this morning.

My role this morning is fairly a simple one, namely, to invite the Chairman of the Council. But before I do that, our Chief Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to make one comment. That, at Mount Kenya University, we pay special attention to safety and security issues both within the University and the neighborhood. The University has invested heavily on biometric security enhancement and also we have sent night patrols to all our neighborhood.

We also do very much appreciate the security support provided to us by the local security agents.

Unfortunately, there is one blackspot area within the neighborhood where we have recorded a very worrying crime rate especially the mugging of residents.  This is the point just in front of this Convention Centre. Our request Sir is that a police post be mounted in the said neighborhood for the security of residents who include our students.

Additionally Sir, we have numerous international students at MKU. Unfortunately, they all face challenges in delayed processing of pass, which take too long thus causing a lot of inconveniences to our international students.

Sir, these are two requests which if you kindly consider to have them resolved for us, this group of students who you are seeing here will be forever grateful.

With those few remarks, I now invite the Chairman of the University Council to come and invite the Chairman of the Board of Directors.