Pioneer Tom Mboya University VC's grand plans for future Pioneer
Prof Charles Ocholla gives his acceptance speech after his inauguration as the Vice Chancellor at Tom Mboya University on December 22, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Tom Mboya, the only university in Homa Bay County, opened its doors with fewer than 200 students in October 2016.
- At inception, the institution had three faculties – Education, Business and Economics and Biological and Physical Sciences.
Prof Charles Ocholla will go down in history as an academic who put Tom Mboya University on the world map.
The Vice-Chancellor’s achievements include ensuring the institution gets a charter just six years after it was established.
When it comes to prudent use of funds, Tom Mboya tops higher education learning institutions in the country. The management received an award form the government for this.
Tom Mboya is the only university in Homa Bay County. The institution opened its doors with fewer than 200 students in October 2016.
The learners struggled for space in the few lecture halls and other facilities. The place the institution sits used to be an agricultural training college.
Former Homa Bay governor Cyprian Awiti and a group of academics from the region later converted it to a university, naming it after trade unionist and former Cabinet Minister Tom Mboya.
At its inception, the institution had three faculties – Education, Business and Economics and Biological and Physical Sciences.
Until August last year, it operated as Tom Mboya University College under Maseno University.
Then-president Uhuru Kenyatta awarded the university college a charter. The higher education institution has been expanding, with new buildings coming up.
One is multi-storey building that will have lecture halls capable of accommodating at least 12,000 students in a sitting.
Some of the buildings can be used for conferences, thus generating income for the university. The student population has also increased to 8,000 with 2,000 being First-Years.
More learners are expected to be admitted this year, now that Tom Mboya is a fully-fledged university.
The achievements are attributed to Prof Ocholla, who has been at the institution since its founding. He was the first principal.
After the college was awarded a charter, Prof Ocholla became the acting VC. Later, Tom Mboya University advertised for the position VC, which he applied and was hired.
During Tom Mboya University’s second graduation on December 22,Prof Ocholla was inaugurated as the first VC.
He said the institution would introduce programmes that enhance proper utilisation of Lake Victoria as a key resource in the region.
“Tom Mboya University has created a niche in the blue economy as a solution to local problems,” the VC said in his acceptance speech.
“We will always invest in research to create impact on local communities and offer solutions to the problems facing this region and East Africa.”
He added that part of the solutions involves understanding the lake to enable the institution come up with ways through which it can transform livelihoods through fish farming and conservation of the environment.
Tom Mboya University is about two kilometres from the lake.
Prof Charles Ocholla is robed by fellow academics during his installation as the Vice-Chancellor of Tom Mboya University on December 22, 2023.
Prof Ocholla, social demographer, added that his team would ensure the university achieves the vision of Tom Mboya, who was assassinated in Nairobi in 1969. Mboya hailed from Rusinga island in Homa Bay County.
Prof Ocholla undertook his bachelor’s degree in Geography and master’s in Population Studies at the University of Nairobi. He then went for his doctorate in Demography at the University of Liverpool.
Prof Ocholla said he and his team would ensure Tom Mboya University scales the academic heights.
Lesson attendance
Last year, academic stakeholders met at the university during the fifth Education Evidence for Action (EE4A) conference. They discussed ways of improving policies in education.
“I thank Maseno University for having walked with us in this journey. We are now competing with Maseno and have set plans for a great future,” he said.
Prof Ocholla said he would work with everyone to address the challenges facing society. He said his successors should strive to improve the university.
“I will do everything possible to leave a strong foundation and legacy. I hope those who come after us will be stronger,” the VC said.
The plans include setting up lecture halls with multiple media and public address systems to ease teaching and learning.
Prof Ocholla said his administration wants to create a culture of uninterrupted academic calendars.
Most public universities have a problem of students going on rampage.
The management of Tom Mboya University called on students to channel their grievances to the administration using the right channel and not engage in violence.
“Do not involve yourself in examination irregularities. The lecturers must increase visibility during the examinations,” Prof Ocholla said.
He announced the introduction of a policy at the institution where students are graded based on lesson attendance.
Prof Ocholla said some students have a tendency of missing lessons. He said some report on the third week when others have covered part of their units.
The VC added that such culture would not be tolerated, saying students must report on the first day of the semester and attend lessons.
All these plans, he said, are based on guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education, the University Senate and the University Academic Staff Union.
“We must work within the rule of law to improve our academic standards. I want to leave a legacy at Tom Mboya,” Prof Ocholla said.
He called for support from staff and students, saying he cannot achieve the objectives on his own.
He said students from the institution, upon graduation, should use their skills to help others.
Tom Mboya University has also established a good relationship with the county government of Homa Bay which offers internship opportunities for students.
Governor Gladys Wanga, who attended the graduation, said 20 students would be absorbed as interns in her government in 2024.
Graduands at Tom Mboya University celebrate during the institution's second graduation ceremony on December 22, 2023.
“Others worked as interns last year. This partnership will continue,” she said.
Governor Wanga added that universities are an ingredient of the growth of towns and cities. He said Homa Bay would grow, partly because of Tom Mboya University.
“Apart from normal growth, we want the university to use Lake Victoria to offer opportunities for our people,” she said.
A total of 442 students graduated received their degrees during the ceremony.
University Council Chairperson, Augusta Abate, said Tom Mboya would contribute to the transformation of the society.
“The world faces challenges like food insecurity and climate change. Use the knowledge you have acquired to address these challenges,” Dr Abate said.
She also urged the graduands to build the legacy of the institution by coming up with cutting edge solutions for problems facing society.
There are plans to establish a library at a new building with one of the sections having books and materials that highlight the achievements Tom Mboya as a trade unionist, minister and his life in general.
This section is expected to provide residents of Homa Bay the knowledge about the former Cabinet Minister and what plans he had for the region.
State Department of Higher Education and Research Principal Secretary, Beatrice Inyangala, who attended the graduation event told universities to be innovative when implementing strategies for generating income. She admitted that the institutions are in financial problems.
Dr Inyangala said it is high time the universities learn to generate income and not rely on the national government.
“Universities have the opportunity to be innovative in generating and mobilising funds. Time has come for universities to be inventive and create sources of revenue without looking at the National Treasury,” she said.
The PS added that the government is committed to supporting universities with money for improving infrastructure.
She argued universities to undertake research on the many problems affecting communities and offer sustainable solutions.
“As institutions with capacity for research, I urge our universities to interact with the local communities, identify problems and conduct studies aimed at solving the problems,” Dr Inyangala added.
Dr Inyangala told Kenyans to embrace the new university funding model. She said the new model is aimed at enabling needy students acquire education.
Dr Inyangala said the funding scheme is friendly to students from vulnerable families, adding that 95 per cent of their fees would be settled.
“In this model, 70 per cent is scholarship and only Sh25 per cent is loan,” she said.
