By Meshack M. Ngangi | April 30, 2025

In the golden light of late April, the 30th day of the month, Karen Nairobi Campus thrummed with anticipation as The Co-operative University of Kenya (CUK) welcomed a new chapter in its storied history. H.E. Hon. William Samoei Ruto, Ph.D., C.G.H., President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, arrived fresh from a landmark state visit to China—one that he described as “for the next generation”—and was greeted by the resonant harmonies of the University Choir and the vibrant colors of academic regalia. His first act of the day was to officially open the long-awaited Lecture Theatre III Annex, a state-of-the-art complex fitted with interactive teaching mechanisms and hybrid-learning capability.

Following the ribbon-cutting, President Ruto joined the to-be-installed Chancellor, Dr. Benard William Chitunga, the University Council, the Management Board, faculty, students and guests in a stately procession across the sunlit campus quad. The University Band’s rhythmic drums and the choir’s stirring blend of Swahili anthems and creative composition melodies set a tone of solemn celebration as Dr. Jeremy Bundi, Chairperson of the University Council; Prof. Kamau Ngamau, Vice-Chancellor; and Prof. Isaac Nyamongo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academics, Co-operative Development, Research and Innovation, led the way to the venue of the event, the Graduation Square. There, in accordance with the Universities Act and CUK statutes, Prof. Ngamau formally constituted the inauguration assembly—an audience that included government cabinet secretaries, cooperative society executives, international development partners, alumni chapters, and representatives of student and staff unions, all reflecting the university’s multi-stakeholder ethos.

Prof. Isaac Nyamongo invited the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kamau Ngamau to read the Chancellor’s Citation, which traced Dr. Benard William Chitunga’s journey from an assistant programmes officer at the Agri and Co-operative Training and Consultancy (ATC) Services Limited to a post-doctoral fellowship in the Netherlands, highlighting his contribution in the partnerships and development finance. Amid sustained applause, Dr. Chitunga, adorned in the Chancellor’s ceremonial gown, accepted the citation and stepped forward to receive the symbols of office.

Dr. Bundi ceremonially handed over the ebony-and-brass Mace—emblematic of the university’s authority and unity—followed by bound volumes of the Universities Act and CUK Statutes, the University Charter granting degree-awarding powers, the logo and seal for official communications, and the Master Plan and Strategic Plan 2022-2027, which will guide campus development and academic programming through 2027. “These instruments embody the legacy you inherit and the responsibilities you now carry as the second Chancellor of The Co-operative University of Kenya,” Dr. Bundi declared.

In his installation address, Dr. Chitunga spoke first of gratitude: to the Almighty for guiding his path; to the President H.E. Hon. William Samoei Ruto, whose visionary foreign policy and infrastructure advances—from Beijing to Nairobi—are reshaping Kenya’s future; and to the university’s leadership and over three-hundred staff, who for eight years had steered CUK with humility, forward-looking vision, dedication and authenticity even in the absence of a Chancellor. He paid tribute to his predecessor, the late Joseph William Nthiga Nyaga, whose exhortation—“We need a better world for ourselves, our children, and generations to come”—remains the university’s lodestar.

Drawing on his upbringing in the small village of Chegulo in Malava, Kakamega county and the “co-operative courage” he witnessed there, the newly installed Chancellor celebrated the power of the question “Why?” as a stimulus for research and a challenge to entrenched norms. He unveiled the Chancellor’s Legacy Program, which includes a Multi-Donor Cooperative Innovation and Entrepreneurship Finance Facility, an annual Cooperative Investment Forum, the Africa Horticulture Center to drive horticultural research and value-chain development, and a Green Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence initiative to expand campus housing to 10,000 capacity green infrastructure and establish a cutting-edge AI Innovation Center.

After Dr. Chitunga’s visionary remarks, President Ruto returned to the podium for his address as the Chief Guest and reaffirmed the government’s unwavering support. He congratulated the new Chancellor, emphasising that youth leadership is not merely an aspiration but a present reality: “Your elevation to this role is both historic and symbolic, reflecting our collective conviction that youth are not merely the leaders of tomorrow, but of today.” He celebrated CUK’s unique place in national development, noting that for over seventy years the university has been an engine for skilled human capital and community-uplifting research grounded in cooperative values of equity, democracy, solidarity and mutual responsibility. Highlighting the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), he remarked that Kenyans no longer wish simply to share the national cake but to learn “how to bake it,” a mission that CUK, through accessible, practical and future-oriented education, is ideally placed to achieve.

H.E. William Ruto announced key commitments: under the Affordable Housing Programme, 2,520 new student hostel beds will be constructed; the government will support Public-Private Partnerships to expand infrastructure and research centres under the Chancellor’s Legacy Program; and additional land will be secured for flagship projects such as the proposed CUK Innovation Hub. He underscored cooperatives’ centrality to Kenya’s economy, with over fourteen million members contributing nearly half of national savings and financing ninety per cent of the affordable housing project. The president affirmed that the forthcoming Cooperative Bill 2024 will institutionalise reforms centring training, research, and innovation. “This university is not just a partner in that effort,” he declared, “it is its anchor.” With President Ruto’s endorsement, Chancellor Chitunga’s leadership, and groundbreaking infrastructure now in place, The Co-operative University of Kenya stands poised to illuminate the path toward cooperative excellence, socio-economic transformation, and a knowledge-driven future for generations.