The Vice Chancellor of University of Nairobi (UoNBI) Prof. Peter Mulwa Felix Mbithi on Friday, 28th August 2015, paid a courtesy call on the Acting Makerere University Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Ernest Okello Ogwang. During the meeting Prof. Mbithi expressed his desire to a strong collaboration between University of Nairobi, Kenya and Makerere University, Uganda.

He further reiterated that a strong Mak-UoNBI Partnership can pave way for developing a strong ICT platform for East Africa, that can act as a launch pad for other universities to collaboratively develop ICT software among other innovations.

“With the technical support, Makerere University and University of Nairobi can pursue the initial stages of this project. We can start with ICT and at a later stage extend the program to academic collaboration starting with the Bachelors level then to Masters and PhD level,” he said.

A technologist and an expert in Clinical Veterinary Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery, Prof. Mbithi also pointed out that it was high time that regional universities developed an initiative that will help them to continue tapping into the skills of experts and professors even after retirement from their respective institutions. He observed that universities had lost connections with their erstwhile Professors and other experts, a situation that further widened knowledge-skills gap between them and their younger colleagues.  

“We the seniors are retiring and leaving the young generation in control. However they still need help and guidance from us,” said Prof. Mbithi, further adding “We should therefore devise a way of maintaining contact with these people so that in case the universities need their knowledge and expertise they can easily contact them.”

Assoc. Prof. Okello Ogwang thanked Prof. Mbithi for visiting Makerere University and warmly welcomed his proposition. “The idea you are proposing is very important to the young generation. Creating an ICT platform to collate knowledge and skills for East Africa will be very beneficial to not only academicians but also to experts in the other sectors such as economists, businessmen and politicians.”

He also acknowledged the idea of retaining professors and experts of the University for Academic Consultation and capacity building since this will help the young generation to learn more from them. The Acting Vice Chancellor however emphasized the need for the initiative to bring on board academia and experts from all universities in East Africa right from the start.

Article: Mak Public Relations Office.