Kenya: Kibaki and Raila shared the first public platform at Strathmore University

Strathmore University has had a long and illustrious history since it began in the early 1960s. It was then the first interracial and interreligious College in East Africa. It has scored many other firsts since then, but a special date in its history has been the 23rd April 2008, when it received the Charter from the President of Kenya, honorable Mwai Kibaki.

That Charter, which gives it the final recognition of the Kenyan Government to operate as a university, took some time to come but when it did it was even sweeter. Given the violence that had enveloped Kenya after the elections in December 2007, many people were asking themselves if the country, up to now so stable compared with its neighbors, was going to be able to stop before descending irreparably into that spiral of violence that has been seen in some other neighboring countries. However, thanks to the political will of the two leaders, Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, Kenya was able to stop the mindless violence and begin again on a path of democracy and tolerance.

The first place where these two key political figures shared a public platform as President and Prime Minister after the peace agreement was at the ceremony at Strathmore University. “Perhaps because of our history or perhaps encouraged by our motto (Ut omnes unum sint-that all may be one), these political figures chose Strathmore as the first place where they were seen together, sharing power” said at Strathmore. An they add: “May Strathmore continue contributing to a more peaceful and educated Kenya and East Africa”.

Harambee supports a Strathmore University’s educational project.

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