REMARKS

BY

Prof. Deogratius JAGANYI

VICE-CHANCELLOR

DURING THE

OPENING CEREMONY OF THE

2ND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PEACE, SECURITY AND SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

AT THE

MWAI KIBAKI CONVENTION CENTRE

ON

WEDNESDAY 18TH MAY, 2022
Salutation

  • Chief Guest, Hon. Peter Munya, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives,
  • Prof. Simon N. Gicharu, CBS, Founder of Mount Kenya University (MKU) and Chairman, Board of Directors,
  • Amb. Tegla Loroupe, the President of the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation,
  • Members of the University Board of Directors,
  • Dr. Vincent Gaitho, Pro-Chancellor, MKU,
  • Prof. David Serem, Chairman of the MKU Council,
  • Members of the University Council,
  • Distinguished Guests,
  • Members of Senate and Staff of MKU,
  • All the Delegates who are attending either online or physically,
  • Distinguished Guests,
  • Student Leaders,                                                                 
  • Ladies and Gentlemen.

Preliminaries

It is with great appreciation, that I take the honour and privilege to welcome you all, our delegates, who are attending the 2nd International Conference on Peace, Security and Social Enterprise. On behalf of the entire Mount Kenya University fraternity, I welcome you all to the conference. Those who are here with me at the conference venue, please receive and accept our word of welcome and be at home.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this conference comes as a climax to a number of earlier-on conducted pre-conference activities which were hosted by MKU within the last 3 months. These include a Pre-Conference Breakfast meeting hosted at the Safari Club Hotel, in Nairobi City and a Peace Walk at our 6 campuses that took place at the same time, passing the same message in Thika, Meru, Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and Eldoret Campuses. We also have hosted a series of webinars on peace.  I wish to thank the MKU teams from different Campuses, as well as our partners, who joined hands in organizing and / or participating in these pre-conference activities. We shall also host  post-conference activities all the way to the end of the year. 

The Place of Peace at Individual, Community and International Levels

Our Chief Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen, why do we have to host all these activities?  Why are we here? Why peace anyway?

Quoting from the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 16, on “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”, the highlights of SDG No. 16 indicates that, “Conflict, insecurity, weak institutions and limited access to justice remain a great threat to Sustainable Development”.  The 16th  SDG champions for a society that is free of violence of all kinds, that protects its people from abuse, and that promotes the rule of law, ensuring equal access to justice, and shared resources.  With a view to enhancing the achievement of such an ideal society, Mount Kenya University, in line with her three core mandates of teaching, research and community engagement has organized this Conference and numerous related activities as indicated above while marking the International Day of Living Together in Peace, Amb. Tegla Loroupe who is here with us in a press address said, “Peace is like the oxygen we breathe” for we all need oxygen all the time and there would be no life without oxygen. According to Amb. Loroupe, there also would be no life without peace. This is, therefore, a good justification for this conference and many other activities that we as Kenyans and the world at large are doing to advance peace at all levels.

More specifically, MKU is the United Nations Academic Impact SDG 10 Hub on Reduced Inequalities. This gives us the mandate to preach and promote peace for all, and at all times. We appreciate that Prof. Mark Charlton, from the United Nations Academic Impact SDG 16 Hub on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, at the De Montfort University, UK, is one of the Keynote Speakers in this conference.

Conclusion

Once again, feel most welcome to Mount Kenya University, to Thika town and to Kenya for those coming from outside the country.

Thank you.  

Prof. Deogratius JAGANYI

Vice-Chancellor

Mount Kenya University