University of Kigali’s (UoK) newly appointed Vice Chancellor, Prof. David Karungu Wang’ombe, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Academic, Professor Felix Maringe, have announced that they will work with university staff to make it an excellent institution that produces competent graduates who will serve their communities well. Wang’ombe was appointed as the university’s vice chancellor by its Board of Directors, effective March 1, 2023, whereas Maringe was appointed on October 1, 2022. Prof. Wangombe holds a BA (Hons) and MBA from the University of Nairobi as well as a PhD and has been an Associate Professor of Accounting and Sustainability at Strathmore University, Kenya. Their observations come ahead of the university’s seventh graduation ceremony, scheduled for March 3, 2023. “We are delighted that over 1,800 students will be graduating. Almost 60 per cent of them are female students. We have prepared these students to face the world ahead of them,” Prof. Wang’ombe pointed out, adding, “We are proud of them because we know that they have what it takes to make a difference in society.” Prof. Maringe added, “We have about six out of 17 female students who have won prizes for best achievement in their respective programmes. We have one international student who scooped the best prize in his discipline and these are signs that demonstrate the culture of diversity and inclusion at UoK.” Significance On the implications or significance of such graduation, the two officials emphasised that UoK designs its programmes to be market-driven, as well as driven to fulfil the social agenda. Consequently, the university has students from a variety of programmes, like education, who are at the postgraduate level. Thus, UoK is building leaders in education, not just teachers; and the same focus applies to other disciplines including accounting, finance, marketing, procurement and supplies management, law, computing and IT, economics, public administration, etc. “We are building students who are innovative, students with modern technology. The school of IT produces students that are able to respond to this highly-volatile market of information technology,” Prof. Wang’ombe highlighted. Also, he indicated that they have students from business and economics who respond to the modern corporate world, and the need to develop new enterprises whether small or big. “These are the changes that we need in our society. Coupled with that are our students from law, students who are engaging not only to make sure people are properly represented but also aware of their legal rights, even in relationships with other people, so that we can have a progressive country and region,” he observed. “I am happy that our students have been absorbed in all sectors, private, public, and non-governmental organisations. Companies come to the university to scout for talent because we prioritise quality and integrity and have recruited high-level staff at the offices of the Director of Quality Assurance and Director of Academic Programmes & Integrity. These notwithstanding, a good number of UoK students are actually starting their enterprises so that they can be employers of others,” Prof. Maringe added. Raising the university’s profile Wang’ombe and Maringe bring to their new roles a wealth of demonstrable knowledge and experience, having worked in various institutions in Kenya, South Africa and the UK. They said they were motivated to join the University of Kigali as Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Academic respectively, by the institution’s vision to be a pole of radiance and excellence nationally and internationally, through quality education, research and provision of innovative services to the people. “I was delighted when the Board of Directors appointed me as Vice Chancellor so that I can also share my personal vision of developing the capacity of young people who are mostly taking undergraduate programmes, the capacity of those who are taking graduate programmes, as well as the capacity of those in the world of industry, government, as well as non-governmental organisations,” Prof. Wang’ombe observed. Prof. Maringe added, “The motto, ‘Labour for the Future’, clearly situates the university as an important player in labour markets, not just for the present, but for the future. I liked the international aspiration evident in the student body and staff, with foreign staff and students coming from no less than 15 countries on the continent and the fact that UoK is a university poised for growth both in the physical and academic sense.” On the plans to improve the international visibility of the University of Kigali, Wang’ombe said that they include joining international collaborative organisations of universities that are known to accredit and also to help improve quality education and research to the highest level. He mentioned the Global Business School Network, the Association of Africa Business Schools, and the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research, which could help increase the university’s visibility. “I am talking about institutions such as the Partnership for African Governance Research, which is an institution set up to improve governance, particularly of universalities in Africa. I have been a member and I will work with them,” he said. “One of the things that we have done that I want the University of Kigali to join is working on a collaborative master’s of research in public policy,” he pointed out, indicating that besides that, they want to have high-level research that is produced by their students and staff, published in international journals. Maringe added that as Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Academic, “I will champion the preparation of staff for an academic career in higher education through an envisaged programme which we hope to offer at certificate level, postgraduate diploma, masters and doctoral level.” “This will help catapult the university to higher levels of performance and status (CHELT)—with the help of promotors to increasingly digitalise our learning platforms in order to expand our reach of students through the development of blended learning modalities. And to promote greater quality and integrity in our programmes.” Community service engagement University of Kigali’s community services, Wang’ombe and Maringe said, under the auspices of the university, include, but are not limited to, offering full scholarships to disadvantaged students, in collaboration with its partners and promoters, as well as individual institutions. “The partnership between the University of Kigali and like-minded institutions, institutions that are excited about things that we do, has led to an increase in the scholarships that we are giving to our students. For the past seven years, UoK has committed to partnering with the Imbuto Foundation to fully sponsor 10 girls annually, translating to $20,000 for 30 girls to pursue a three-year undergraduate academic programme at the university.” UoK also sponsors 20 more vulnerable but brilliant students to continue with their secondary education—to the tune of $6,000 per year. “I invite other like-minded institutions that would want to support students that are brilliant but cannot afford a university education, to come and join us in the quest to make this education available for them,” Wang’ombe said.
