Kenya: Former Athlete Quenching Thirst for Education

Ciugu Mwagiru And Julius Sigei

17 March 2011

Nairobi — It is a tall order for the newly established Narok University College as it sets out to offer higher education in a region reeling under poor performance and some of the lowest school enrolment rates in the country.

While getting an A in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education is commonplace in many schools in other counties, the larger Narok district got its first A ever since the inception of 8-4-4 system in last year’s examination.

The county has been performing dismally in both primary and secondary school examinations with less than 20 students from Narok North and South districts being admitted to various public universities by the Joint Admissions Board in 2009.

Already, Narok Education Task Force, which is chaired by Narok University Council chairman Karei ole Karei is crediting this year’s marginal improvement to the excitement brought about by the college.

“We now want the taskforce to be integrated fully into an outreach programme of the university so that it can spur positive attitude towards education,” Prof Karei said in a recent interview.

Narok University College started as a satellite campus of Moi University in the year 2007. The student population has since grown to 1,274.

There are currently 563 students admitted by the Joint Admissions Board and 410 who are self-sponsored, all distributed among the six schools. Most of the latter are locals, say university officials.

The six schools are: School of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, School of Science, School of Business and Economics, School of Human Resource Development, School of Information Science and School of Natural Resource Development.

“There are also school-based programmes, which enable those teachers who cannot enrol either in the evening or the regular programmes to further their education by learning during the holidays when schools are closed. There are currently 76 students in this programme,” says the university college principal, Prof David Serem.

The college is also in the process of opening a campus in Kilgoris, within the county, and one in the neighbouring Kajiado County. “Already enrolment for the school-based programmes in these areas has been rolled out,” he said.

The college has also boosted the local economy by providing employment to the locals, majority of whom have been practising pastoralism for a long time, thus being unable to pursue education that would get them well-paying jobs.

A number of provincial administrators, businessmen and even politicians are taking courses ranging from public administration to business management.

“I realised that I needed to pursue higher education so I can lead my people better,” says Councillor Hassan Ole Maripet, a student of Human Resources Management.

The area surrounding the university college is also teeming with construction work, with investors and private developers scrambling for plots and spaces in anticipation of the growth of the institution.

“The arrival of the university college has given a new impetus to the growth of this town; already its skyline is changing,” says Mr S.K Lemein, the administrative officer at the Narok Town Council.

Thirsting for education

A recent interview with Prof Serem at his office revealed a man all set to carry out the tall order set out in the college’s charter, the strategic plan and a community thirsting for education.

A man from very humble beginnings, he has valued education since his childhood. Born in 1951 in Kaptumo, Nandi District, he was the second in a family of five brothers and four sisters.

The genial principal says his parents were simple peasants who struggled to see their children through school. He himself started off in a local primary school, before joining Kapsabet Boys.

After his O levels, he had to forego proceeding to Form Five at the insistence of his parents, who wanted him to become a teacher so that he could educate his siblings. He trained at Eregi Teachers College for a P1 certificate between 1972 and 1974.

Soon after completing the teaching course, the young Serem was accepted at the University of Wyoming in the United States to study for a BA in Education.

A promising athlete from his school days, he excelled in the 400 and 800 metre races. It was because of that talent that he was offered an athletics scholarship to study at the university through the help of one Tony Barcley of the peace corps.

Prof Serem later gave up athletics to concentrate on his studies and says he consequently had to do odd jobs, such as assisting in the university library, delivering pizzas on a bicycle and mowing recreation parks, in order to support himself.

After spending 11 years in the United States, Prof Serem returned to Kenya in 1985, armed with a PhD in Educational Administration, his speciality to date. He taught at Kenyatta University, where he stayed for just over two years before moving to Moi University in 1988.

Prof Serem was later sent to Maseno University College, where he was to work as the deputy principal under historian William Ochieng’, becoming acting principal in 1999 when the latter left to join the public service.

When the college attained full university status in 2001, Prof Serem was appointed deputy vice-chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration, a position he held for three years before again deciding to go back to his home area, and later rising to become the first principal of Narok University College.

“As a way of reciprocating the education I received against all odds, I am dedicated to ensuring that every young person in Narok has access to quality education,” Prof Serem says.

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