January 2023 Updates
As we begin a new year, we want to take a moment to extend our sincerest gratitude for your continued support of Africa International University. Your generous contributions have made a significant impact on the success of our students and the advancement of our institution.
In this edition of our newsletter, we’re excited to share updates on recent developments and initiatives that your donations have made possible.
Let’s dive in!
#Dump Asbestos Campaign
At the onset of the last quarter of the year 2022, The AIU Alumni Association began a journey of faith aiming to raise Ksh. 5,000,000.00 ($50,000) towards the safe removal of the asbestos roofing, before replacing it with iron sheets.
The AIU Chapel, which also serves as a Multipurpose Hall, was initially roofed with asbestos material. This was not only a health hazard for the community, but also a critical compliance issue for the university with the relevant regulators including the Commission of University Education (CUE) and National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA). With the support of various stakeholders, the project was successfully completed before the resumption of university operations on 9th January 2023. We appreciate your generous support towards the dump Asbestos project. May the Lord richly bless you.
AIU Leadership and Governance Hub launch
The School of Business and Economics recently launched the AIU Leadership and Governance Hub in pomp and color, an event that was graced by various Leaders and stakeholders in different spheres of the Community across the African continent.
The Hub, under the able leadership of Prof. Eric Aseka, initiated an institute that has an ambitious task of raising and mentoring leaders in the private sector, religious spheres, as well as civic institutional leaders, who will gain the skills to tackle twenty-first century leadership challenges.
Moving forward, the Hub will provide consultancy and training services to equip leaders with relevant skills in the fields of management, entrepreneurship, public administration, leadership, and governance in Africa.
Commissioning the graduating class at All Saints Cathedral
As an AIU tradition, part of the process of graduating our students includes worshipping together for one last time at a baccalaureate service. This time of prayer and worship celebrates God’s work in the lives of our students during their studies and service at Africa International University. It also offers an opportunity to speak a blessing over their future endeavors.
This year, AIU commissioned 331 Class of 2022 graduates in a Joint commissioning ceremony at All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi.
To keep the vision and mission of AIU alive, we want our students to recognize that regardless of what field of work, sphere of society, or corner of the world they are heading to — God will be there and wants to use them in some intentional ways to transform the world.
AIU celebrates its 37th Graduation Ceremony!
Since Covid-19 struck the world in 2019, Africa International University continued to respond and adapt to the ever-changing conditions of the pandemic. From remote learning and hybrid class in 2020, to in-person for the 2021 – 2022 academic year, students have been pushed academically, socially, mentally, physically, and even professionally. Online graduations had taken Centre stage for the last three graduation ceremonies (2019,2020 & 2021).
It’s no wonder, jubilations and great joy filled the air as the 2022 graduands took their place, together with their loved ones as they attended an in-person graduation ceremony, for the first time since 2019. We are grateful to God for the opportunity granted to the Class of 2022 giving them the chance to leave campus with some sense of normalcy and tradition, as we celebrated our 37th graduation ceremony at the University’s auditorium.
The event, which was presided over by the University’s Chancellor Prof. Watson Omulokoli, saw 331 graduates conferred with degrees, diplomas, and certificates in various fields of specialization. AIU continues to live up to its vision of being a center of academic excellence founded on biblical Christian values with a mission of providing holistic quality education based on research and practical skills.
Huawei Cybersecurity Bootcamp
KIARIE JOHN GITAU and AGNES ALIVIZA participated in the Huawei Cybersecurity Bootcamp conducted, facilitated, and managed by Huawei for university students in October 2022.
The boot camp is an initiative to address the growing need for a skilled cybersecurity workforce within the country and beyond. It is designed with the goal of providing participants with the latest knowledge, skills, and experiences to prepare them for a career in cybersecurity.
The two-week-long boot camp, which was held in Naivasha, was delivered in three phases.
It was refreshing to note that Kiarie and Agnes excelled in all the phases and qualified for the finals where they were subsequently ushered to extensive lab training for two consecutive days configuring real-life devices such as routers, switches, and firewalls. They finally emerged fourth out of twenty participants. We congratulate them!
Change of guard in student leadership
The incoming 2022-2023 student leaders at Africa International University were sworn in on Thursday 10th November 14, during the annual Africa International University Student Association (AIUSA) inauguration ceremony. Jim Walker, a third-year student taking Bachelor of Education, will serve as president, and Diana Chepkoech, a sophomore taking Bachelor of Development Studies, will serve as vice president.
Partnerships
The Vice Chancellor of AIU, Prof. Dankit Nassiuma recently had the pleasure of speaking with Tim Abel’s, Chief Investment Officer at Alpha Kingdom Capital – USA and Dr. Nelson Makanda, General Secretary of Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, about possible partnerships with Africa International University towards building capacity to students with entrepreneurship and business skills, targeted towards innovation in the digital age.
AWS Kenya Educational Conference 2022
On the 8th of November 2022, the AIU IIT Faculty attended a seminar organized by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in partnership with the Ministry of Education at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Upper Hill, Nairobi, Kenya. The theme of the seminar was ‘Transforming Teaching and Learning for Economic Growth in Kenya’.
The event targeted over 150 key stakeholders in the education sector including the Ministry of Education, Education Institutions, Research Institutions, Publishers, Education Content Creators, EdTech’s and Education Solution Providers.
Career talks
The Mentorship and marketing departments from Africa International University held a career talk at Kenswed Sec school in Ngong, Kajiado County; in a regional secondary career day on 15th Oct. 2022. The team had an opportunity to interact with form three and four candidates with about 200 students from six secondary schools in the area.
While giving a keynote address, Mr. Rogers Ochieng – a faculty member in AIU’s IIT Department advised the students to inculcate discipline in their lifestyles even as they prepared and looked forward to sitting their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KSCE) later in the year. The event was also a good opportunity for the marketing team to share about the University and the programs we offer.
AIU Community wellness – AIU inter-school sports day.
Work without play makes Jack a dull boy, thus AIU remains intentional in planning a wide array of events and activities to welcome new students adjust to their new home, away from home.
Sports is also a great avenue for social interactions that enable community members to make new friends, keep fit, and for young energetic people to stay away from negative social influences.
“The sports event helps to expose new students to everything that AIU has to offer, and to help set them up for success as they begin their campus journey.” Explained the dean of students, Dr. Mungathia Florence.
“We are consistent in our commitment to provide excellent opportunities for the student body to find their niche at Africa International University.”
In last semester’s sporting event, the School of Education Arts and Social Sciences (SEAS) won in the various categories emerging top and winning the 2022-sports day trophy!