By James Wakahiu
Mount Kenya University (MKU) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) have entered into a partnership aimed at promoting integrity, ethical leadership and anti-corruption awareness among young people through education and public engagement.
The collaboration will leverage the influence, innovation and energy of the youth to cultivate a culture of honesty, accountability and responsible citizenship in the country.
Speaking during a meeting between officials from the two institutions, MKU Chairman and Founder Prof. Simon Gicharu welcomed the initiative, saying the EACC was increasingly being recognized for preventive and educational approaches in the fight against corruption rather than solely focusing on punitive action.
Prof. Gicharu, who also chairs the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), emphasized the importance of introducing integrity and ethics education at early stages of learning under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
According to him, values taught consistently from primary school through university would help nurture a generation that embraces ethical conduct naturally without requiring excessive supervision.
“I look forward to a future where schools and universities will have no examination invigilators because everybody will have been trained on ethics and integrity and they will not need any invigilators during examinations,” said Prof. Gicharu.
“A day when everybody will take care of themselves and regulations without being invigilated or supervised would be a great vision for this country,” he added.
He noted that the partnership between MKU and EACC would play a significant role in expanding integrity training and public awareness campaigns across the country.
Prof. Gicharu said MKU would also utilize its sister media outlet, TV47, alongside other institutional platforms, to amplify conversations around ethics, good governance and anti-corruption efforts.
Mount Kenya University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deogratius Jaganyi said the institution was exploring the possibility of introducing integrity studies as a compulsory common unit for all students.
He added that the university and EACC would jointly develop a course on integrity that could also benefit the wider Kenyan community beyond the university population.
“Integrity could become a common unit where every student must participate, while members of the community can also be engaged through student-driven activities and outreach programmes,” said Prof. Jaganyi.
The EACC delegation was led by Vice Chairperson Dr. Monica W. Muiru, who conveyed apologies from Commission Chairperson Dr. David Oginde. The delegation also included Commissioner Col. (Rtd) Alfred M. Mshimba and other senior officers from the commission.
During the engagement, the EACC officials highlighted the Kenya Integrity Leadership Forum (KILF), an initiative spearheaded by the commission to create platforms for dialogue on integrity within universities and institutions of higher learning.
According to the commission, the programme seeks to involve young people, who form a significant portion of the population in the fight against corruption by encouraging research, innovation and advocacy on ethics and governance.
“We are targeting the education sector through universities to reach the youth because this is their most productive stage in terms of innovation and research,” the EACC team said.
“We are encouraging them to innovate and conduct research on integrity and good governance while also speaking out whenever they encounter corruption,” the officials added.
The commission further stated that one of the objectives of the initiative is to challenge the perception that ethical conduct limits success in society.
“We want young people to understand that ethics pays and that embracing integrity should not be seen as a disadvantage,” the officials said.
The partnership will involve a series of joint activities, including public forums, student engagements and awareness campaigns.
One of the key events under the collaboration will be a public forum scheduled for next month at MKU’s Mwai Kibaki Convention Centre.
The two institutions expressed optimism that the partnership would help shape a generation committed to integrity and strengthen the national conversation on ethical leadership and accountability.
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Suleiman Mbatiah 
Mt Kenya Times