Remarks · 30 April 2025
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning,
It is a great pleasure to join you on this historic occasion, marking the installation of the second Chancellor of The Cooperative University of Kenya. Today’s ceremony marks not only a new chapter in the leadership of this distinguished institution but also reaffirms the university’s steadfast commitment to its mission of empowering communities through cooperative education, research, innovation, and sustainable development.
Allow me, at the outset, to congratulate you, Dr. Benard William Chitunga, on your appointment as Chancellor of this esteemed institution. 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. As a government, we are intentional about integrating young people into leadership to unlock their innovation, energy, and bold thinking in shaping our country’s future.
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Co-operative University of Kenya holds a unique and important place in our national development journey. For over 70 years, it has been a vital engine for moulding skilled human capital and producing knowledge systems that uplift communities. Its foundation in the cooperative values of equity, democracy, solidarity, and mutual responsibility has ensured that its focus remains grounded in making a real impact on people’s lives and driving grassroots transformation.
The university’s impact is evident in the professionalism it brings to co-operative governance, the training of strategic leaders for MSMES, and its robust research and policy work that strengthens institutions at the foundation of our economy. This is true empowerment: people-centred, locally and transformational.
Our Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda is built on the productivity of every Kenyan. During nationwide consultations, Kenyans expressed a desire not just to share the national cake, but to be empowered to bake it. This calls for accessible, practical, and future-oriented education; education that imparts skills, nurtures enterprise, and equips citizens to organise collectively. The Co-operative University is uniquely placed to deliver this.
Accordingly, we are implementing a sustainable higher education funding model to ensure that every learner, regardless of their background, has a fair chance to pursue their academic ambitions. Through institutions like this, we are empowering communities with the tools and knowledge to participate meaningfully in national development and wealth creation.
The co-operative model is central to our economic transformation strategy. With over 14 million members, cooperatives now contribute nearly half of our national savings and finance 90% of our housing stock. The implementation of Sessional Paper No. 4 of 2020 and the Cooperative Bill, 2024, now before Parliament, will institutionalise reforms that centre training, research, and innovation as pillars of a modern and sustainable co-operative movement.
This university is not just a partner in that effort, it is its anchor. As we deepen investment across our five priority pillars of agriculture, MSMES, housing, healthcare, and the digital economy, we look to The Co-operative University of Kenya to provide leadership, capacity-building, and research that translates into real, measurable change in people’s lives.
Allow me, at this juncture, to highlight a few key commitments the government is making in support of your vision. First, under the Affordable Housing Programme, we have advertised the construction of student hostels with a capacity of 2,520 beds to provide safe and decent accommodation for learners. Second, through the Chancellor’s Legacy Programme, we welcome initiatives to expand infrastructure through Public-Private Partnerships, establish new research centres, and build financial sustainability. The government will remain a committed partner in delivering these ambitions. Third, recognising that land scarcity is a barrier to growth, we will work with the university to secure additional land for flagship projects, including the proposed CUK Innovation Hub, a facility dedicated to research, training, incubation, and community empowerment at the heart of the cooperative movement.
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Co-operative University of Kenya must continue to serve as a national resource, a catalyst for social equity, a laboratory for economic transformation, and a beacon of hope for the communities it serves. 'Empowering communities' is not merely a slogan; it is a strategic imperative in building an inclusive, sustainable, and just Kenya.
The government stands firmly with this institution. We will continue to support your programmes, invest in your growth, and co-create pathways to prosperity for every Kenyan household. To Dr Chitunga, the University Council, management, senate, faculty, staff, and students, I wish you great success as you carry forward the noble mission of knowledge creation and community transformation. I thank you. God bless you.