Who will carry the students’ voice? Laikipia University prepares for November 18 elections

The Mt Kenya Times

Opinion
10 November 2026

The Mt Kenya Times

With LUSA polls days away, students face a defining choice about the kind of leadership that will represent their interests and hold the administration to account

By Jonothan Muchiri

Laikipia University is gearing up for one of the most significant moments in its student governance calendar, with the Laikipia University Students Association (LUSA) elections set for Tuesday. The polls will give thousands of students the opportunity to choose representatives who will speak on their behalf, champion their interests and engage the university administration on issues that shape daily campus life.

Student leadership matters more than many appreciate. Through LUSA, students have a recognised platform to raise concerns, participate in institutional governance and push back when things go wrong. Tuesday’s election is therefore not merely a procedural exercise — it is a chance for the student body to decide, with intention, what kind of representation it wants for the term ahead.

As the date closes in, attention shifts to the candidates, their messages and the concrete proposals they put before voters. The issues that define student elections at Laikipia are rarely abstract — accommodation, welfare, transport, academic support, financial hardship, mental health and the quality of communication between student leaders and university management. Candidates will be expected to address these with specifics, not slogans.

The university has an established record of credible student elections. The 2024/2025 LUSA Electoral College election was held on 12th March 2025, followed by the Student Executive Council election two days later, with the newly elected leadership sworn in on 20th March. Emmanuel Kibet Koech was elected Chairperson of the Executive Council in a process that Dean of Students Beatrice Yogo described as the smoothest and best-attended in the university’s history. That transition set a standard — not just for organisation, but for the spirit in which student democracy ought to be conducted.

Its lessons remain relevant. A successful poll should not be measured by turnout alone. Students will expect those elected on Tuesday to remain accessible long after the celebrations, communicate regularly and honour commitments made during the campaign. Leadership that disappears between terms serves no one.

The Directorate of Student Affairs carries responsibility for ensuring Tuesday’s election proceeds in an orderly manner — with clear communication, strict adherence to electoral rules and cooperation among candidates, voters and university officials. The environment surrounding the election matters as much as the outcome.

Beyond campaign activity, the coming days offer students a moment of genuine reflection. What does effective representation look like? Who, among those presenting themselves for election, has demonstrated the seriousness, empathy and commitment the role demands? Those chosen will be expected to represent the entire student community — not just their supporters — and to engage the administration constructively even when the conversation is difficult.

Ultimately, Tuesday’s election will determine more than who occupies student leadership positions. It will offer a clear measure of students’ confidence in those who seek to serve them. As Laikipia University prepares for the polls, one question remains: who will earn that trust — and carry the students’ voice?