By Meshack M. Ngangi | April 3, 2025
Three weeks preceding April 3, 2025, at The Co-operative University of Kenya featured a spirited display of student democracy unfolded as candidates across every faculty and the Institute of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (I-TVET) campaigned vigorously for seats in both the Delegate and the Student Governing Council elections. Beginning in mid-March, hopefuls submitted their nomination forms—each backed by a substantial number of nominees—before taking to posters, digital forums, and lively town‑hall debates to present their manifestos for the coming era. By April 3, the electorate had turned out in droves to cast their ballots for departmental delegates who would then participate in electing the executive arm, the SGC of campus governance.
The CUKSU Electoral Commission, led by Dr. Michael Ngala, undertook rigorous vetting in close coordination with the Dean of Students’ Office. Candidates for President, Vice President, Secretary‑General, Treasurer, Social Welfare and Co-Curricular Activities, Gender and Special Needs, and Campus Representative from the two competing parties, The Radical Alliance (TRA) and Comrades Inject Alliance (CIA), laid out detailed manifestos in campaign trails. After the Delegate Elections, there followed SGC polls that saw the following leaders elected: Peter Okinda as Chairperson, Njagi Winrose Kinya as Vice-Chairperson, Chacha Benson Mwita as Secretary-General, and Vincent Ochieng as Finance Secretary. Samuel Owino was elected Social Welfare and Co-Curricular Activities Secretary, Belinda Wanjiru became the Gender and Special Needs Secretary, and Elias Girbo was chosen as Campus Representative.
Both victors and the wider student body greeted the results with optimism and jubilation. “I am honoured by the trust placed in me and I look forward to holding monthly town halls so every student can make their voice heard,” Chairperson-elect Peter Okinda told cheering supporters. With elections concluded, attention now turns to the first joint gathering of these newly elected bodies, the Congress and the Student Governing Council, to strategically plan and craft a shared agenda to tackle student affairs programmes, bolster mental‑health support and foster more inclusive campus activities.
As The Co-operative University of Kenya embarks on this fresh chapter of student leadership, the energy on campus is palpable. Over twelve thousand undergraduates have entrusted their comrades with the task of making CUK more transparent, vibrant and responsive to student needs. In the days and months ahead, all eyes will be on the initiatives these Congress and SGC champion, hopeful that they will translate their promises into tangible improvements for students’ experience at the University.
