 Why a 2.4 Kampas tour Uke na kwa geni, you do what they do Now before introducing to everybody else, let's talk to the vice chancellor of Meru University His name is Romaniz Odiambo and he's been very kind to invite us today So let's have a word or two with him today How are you doing today? How are you feeling? Oh very well, very well Welcome to Meru University Science and Technology Meru University we love so much We are very happy to have you here Thank you so much for having us Yeah and we want you to feel at home We want you really to talk to Kenyans, young people and everybody about Meru University Science and Technology That is correct All right so I understand Mois with a single U Yes it's not the Kakamega one Mois with a single U was launched back in 2010 How was the institution evolved since then until now? What are some of the changes that have been made and how have you guys grown? Thank you very much Actually Mois started in 2009 With 45 students And they were staying in Sambudu's home just next to the border That's where they were sleeping That's where they were taking the breakfast At the some time we did do some prefabs Where we brought them in and started staying here So at that time it was Meru University College of Science and Technology As a constituent college of Jomo Kenyata University of Agriculture and Technology We started growing slowly up to 2013 In March we actually graduated to a full-fledged university Right And for the last seven years we are actually a full-fledged public university We have now almost 7,000 students We have now almost 400 staff We have now almost actually eight schools And what the space in the coming two months It will be a different story We will be having quite a number of students We will be growing the students from about 7,000 to around 10,000 by May By May, you are expecting the number to grow from 7,000 to 10,000 10,000 That's amazing Now I also want to ask about some of the courses you offer Thank you very much We are having eight schools Meru University of Science and Technology I say eight schools The first school is called SKY That is the School of Computing and Informatics Where we do the certificate and diploma and bachelor's and master's and PhDs And the bachelor courses are about for We have the Bachelor of Science Computer Science We have Bachelor of Science in Computer Technology We have Bachelor of Science in Information Technology And we have Bachelor of Science Probably we are the only public university that offer the fourth one That is the Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science In the whole country We are the only one So that's the first school we call SKY Then the second school is called C That's the School of Engineering and Architecture Where we do the certificate, diploma, bachelor's, master's and PhDs up there But at the bachelor level we have currently three problems Is the Bachelor of Technology in Electrical and Electronic Engineering Bachelor of Technology in Silver Engineering And Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering We are soon launching Bachelor of Technology in Architecture And then Acetic Grows It will graduate also to offering Bachelor of Science In the various curricula that I've talked about The third school is the School of Education In the School of Education we have three programs Three courses We have the B.A.D. Act Those people who are teaching arts, the eat English, the eat, history, those kind of things We also have B.A.C. Science B.A.D. Science like me I'm actually a trained graduate teacher Of Mathematics So I graduated Bachelor of Education in Science In Dhamo Mathematics But the third one that we have just introduced That is coming in main Is that this country we have so many TTIs Technical Training Institutes and Polytechnics And we don't have enough tutors So we have introduced another course Bachelor of Technology Bachelor of Education in Technology And I think we are going to admit quite a number of things Because there's actually a crisis in the country right now We have a debt, we have a shortage Of the teachers that teach in TTIs So we are having that That's our third school The fourth school is what we call the SPAS That is School of P.U. and Applied Sciences Basically we do all the natural sciences here Eat the Mathematics Eat the Physics Eat the Chemistry Eat the Botany Eat the Biochemistry Eat the Zoology And a Combination of all that Tandactorial Science Mathematics and Computer You know that kind of thing The next school is the School of Health Sciences We want to In this school we have two problems For now We have the BAC publica And then the BAC clinical medicine And you know most of the doctors That Kenyans interact with Even you the young people Most of the doctors you don't know They are actually clinicians We have very few Qualified medical doctors With the medicine and water But the kind of people we interact with All the time they are actually clinical clinicians So we have BAC clinical medicine And BAC publica And of course Matha publica health And PhD publica health Just like that The next school Is school of what we call SANS School of Nursing Where we do Nursing, BAC nursing But we have also just been approved As the nursing council of Kenya To offer the upgrading program Those who already have diploma And are working in the nursing industries They can now come and upgrade themselves For two or three years And get a BAC nursing I think that's what we have And I think The final school That I have not talked about Is what we call the SANS School of Agriculture And Food Science We are very proud of this year We do the BAC Horticulture The BAC Food Science The BAC Agribusiness The BAC General Agriculture And all kinds of things And this is one of the best schools In Africa right now One of the laboratories we have Is actually Recognizing the whole of the continent That's the idea In Food Science It's so good It's very nice So you recommend guys Who are out there What are you doing? I would love I would love Especially now That I'm talking with The young people The youth who still want to be If you want to do value addition You want to work in places like Unicef and Waterview Nutriso naming The place to be Is actually in this school The place to be Especially for nursing also Is actually this place The place to be For all this kind of courses I've said about Is Meru University of Science and Technology Is the University of Choice Right Now it's cultural week At Meru University Understand this is the last day Right here It's been a whole week And the thing is enhancing Unity and diversity So what does that mean to you? Thank you very much We are Kenyans Yes We are born into families We are born into clans We are born into tribes We are born into You know county We are born into the county Yes And Meru University of Science Has all this kind of people Yes A salad of all kind of The diversity that we have In this county To be such a good steward To create nation To build You know build communities Together In diversity Yes But that we recognize our diversity As a strength For making this university very strong Let me tell you I have students from Poko I have students from Mandera I have students from Lamu I have students from Homabe I have students from Meru I have students from the whole of county I have students out of Kenya Who come here At this diversity Why we have this cultural week Is really to see How we are able to live With all this kind of people together To build and strengthen And make Meru University of Science An excellent center Of training at high education I think that's the essence And for us even as Kenyans You, you You know we all people We have divided you into tribes Into political parties Exactly Yes What we are trying to do Is to tell you that you are human beings You are together You are God's creation You are my brothers and sisters You are my sons and daughters It doesn't matter whether you are a kikuyu You are a Meru You are a Mujaloo You are a what We are all Kenyans And that unit is what we need To really embrace That's really important And people need to realize that And I've been thinking to my next question I was actually going to ask you that The fact that you have different people From different backgrounds And different ethnic backgrounds What are some of the challenges Are the schools you go through Just trying to make different people And understand that they are Wine people Let me tell you You are talking about any challenges Especially me as a CEO Let me start when I was in Jomokanyara For 28 years The last 10 years as a Deputy Vice Chancellor Like Karema Kafeas And when there are policies Especially for these young people The youth The president is here You know We have learned from all the people We marshal our voters In terms of tribes Tribes Tribes And that's a challenge sometimes Number two For me as a leader When you do something Sometime they see it in terms of tribe Yet you are a Vice Chancellor for everyone Kenyans will always use the spectacles of tribe To try to interpret whatever the CEO is Everybody needs to adopt that Now I want to ask Like there's so many institutions in Kenya right now That offer the same courses as you Not all but some Maybe most of them Yeah all more similar courses Now what would you say makes Meru University different From all these Hello youth We are actually the center of Kenya Yeah In Meru So when you come from You know the border Kenya Transania to Meru You have just done the 50% of Meru Avok of Kenya When you move from Meru to You know Ethiopia, Somali, Sudan That's another 50% So one strength Is that we are the center of Kenya Number two Kenyans were The old world appreciate Mount Kenya The three quarter of Mount Kenya Is actually in Meru Three weeks ago We had the first mountainous game In the old world People came here from all over the world To appreciate And celebrate the beauty of Meru Meru University Is just 10, 15 kilometers from Mount Kenya We are in the forest Very clean environment Fresh air Fresh air I'm just telling you the reasons Why you choose this place Why go to I don't want to criticize But why go to some of these Tres places Where the police will make you sick Noise You can't sleep You know So this one of the step But let me come to the The curriculum, the academic We have been very thematic In terms of the programs that we offer We offer eight programs You know eight schools I've told you them Very thematic for the last seven, ten years I mean from two or nine up to now Maybe around 12 years Very thematic And that has helped us to build the capacity In terms of the resources I've told you some of the labs we have Are actually some of the best in the whole of Africa This is my nursing skill lab This is my food science laboratory Is the best in Africa And then the kind of The classes we have had all this time This makes it very good But very importantly Meru as a community Meru as a county Has very entrepreneurial industries And stuff So our students Once they have learnt in class They also go outside And see practically what is happening They don't have to say They want to go to Mombasa All Nairobi We have all these kind of things Around here Do you offer At an institution Do you offer internship Do you offer internship For your students Or after they are done We go Our students Every student has to go for internship Every student We are the only public university With the innovations And incubation center Every student has opportunity Once you have taught I am a professor of statistics If I teach you how to choose a sample How to do what You also have time to meditate In our innovation park In our incubation park And think how do I do What else can I do What else can I come To create some SMEs Out of what I am learning This is the only university Where you can do that Because of our innovations Because of our incubations Because of our entrepreneurs In fact One of the greatest employers we have Is Mwangi Equitiba Equitiba Chiyo Is our chancellor here And is the one who came up actually With this concept That we started So most of the time We have our students We bring entrepreneurs We bring people from outside To train them on SMEs To train them on how They can innovate Innovate And in the process To escalate Their projects into Commersible ideas And this is the only place The public university Where we are doing this Right Yes In our Facebook In our Instagram I mean in our TV Yes Yeah All over Yes And Yes To use the hashtag Y254Campers Tour Yes And thank you so much For talking to us It's been a pleasure Talking to him He is a vice chancellor At Meru University His name is Mr. Romanis I got the name right Romanis Well done You are very intelligent Thank you very much And God bless you All right Thank you so much Do you have any parting shots Even shout outs I think I welcome All Kenyans And everybody to Meru University Of Science and Technology I want all of us To be ambassadors Of this great university The university we love so much The university Which actually trains people On science, technology And innovation and incubations And entrepreneurship That's what I can say And please market us all over And welcome to the university You heard it right here From the horse's mouth Yeah, if you If I'm allowed to use that All right Thank you so much guys Keeping Y254 We have such an amazing day and night Planned here for you You cannot even afford to miss this The hashtag is Y254Campers Tour You are talk to us at the engine And of course don't forget to tag At Meru University And of course at Y254Channel We're going to be talking to you In just a while Stay with us