The assembly ground of Mount Kenya University Rwanda was on Friday morning teeming with graduands in gowns, suits and dresses as friends and families gathered to celebrate the Kenya-based University’s 17th graduation.

Those celebrated at the Kagarama-based campus are the 430 graduates who make 10 per cent of 4,400 that graduated from MKU’s 11 campuses around East Africa.

Mount Kenya University Rwanda was inaugurated in 2010 and is eying to be soon chartered to become a fully-fledged university.

The regional celebration, that took place at the university’s headquarters in Thika on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, was followed live by graduates in Kigali.

Those that graduated were bestowed diplomas, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in various fields including education, health sciences, journalism and mass communication, hospitality and management, information technology and social sciences, nursing, among other disciplines.

In his remarks, Chancellor of Mount Kenya University, Prof John J. Struthers congratulated graduates and challenged them to make use of the resources invested in them and apply their skills to transform their societies.

Mount Kenya University graduates celebrate during the graduation ceremony in Kigali yesterday. A total of 430 graduates make 10 percent of 4,400 that graduated from MKU’s 11 campuses around East Africa.(Sam Ngendahimana

"Africa is dramatically improving in terms of higher education, that is to say, job market is increasingly becoming competitive. It is up to you to strengthen yourselves and fit in,” he said.

Giving back to community

Emmanuel Murenzi and Didace Twagirayezu are members of MKU Rwanda alumni.

Apart from acquiring skills to found and run their respective organisations, they manifest how networking and good attitude acquired from the university’s experience contributed to their success.

Murenzi runs an organisation that assist in implementing various education projects and for him, MKUR gives out to the community, not just individuals.

Didace Twagirayezu runs a construction company, and says that skills and experience from MKUR manifest themselves in his everyday management operations of his company.

The alumni encouraged the fresh graduates to wisely invest the knowledge acquired at the university.

Mount Kenya University graduates celebrate during the graduation ceremonies in Kigali yesterday .Sam Ngendahimana

Alain Ndahiriwe, one of the graduands with Master’s degree from the university said graduation was just a beginning of what he called an interesting phase of his life.

"There are countless opportunities out there awaiting for people like us. It is possible because we have seen other graduates do it,” he told Saturday Times.

Committed to quality education

In her remarks, Masari Kamande, who represented theVice-Chancellor of Mount Kenya University Rwanda, said that more efforts are being invested in improving facilities to ensure quality of education imparted at the university.

She said that the management of the university is considering expanding facilities to support the studying environment.

"We are committed to offering a more qualified education. We are building more facilities to help in that,” she said.

Mount Kenya University is a private, multi-campus university chartered in Kenya.

Graduates reading The New Times  during the graduation ceremonies in Kigali yesterday .Sam Ngendahimana

Some graduates pose with a family member

Traditional dancers entertain the event

During the graduation ceremony , officials joined graduates to cut a cake to celebrate their achievements