Boychild Empowerment Mentorship Session by the Second Lady of the Republic of Kenya

The University of Nairobi through the Office of the Dean of Students and Career Services hosted Boy Child Mentorship Session at the iconic Taifa Hall on the 2nd of March 2023 under the theme “Boy Child Empowerment for a stronger Nation”. Both staff and students showed up in large numbers. The event saw an attendance of 30 guests, 18 members of staff and 589 students including a larger audience that joined virtually via the university’s TV channel UNC and the University’s YouTube channel .

The event was graced by Vice Chancellor, Prof. Stephen Kiama, DVC Academic Affairs, Prof. Julius Ogeng’o, AVC RIE Prof. Margaret Hutchinson, Senate, Dean of Students, Mr. Johnson Kinyua,, UNSA leadership and the chief guest, the Spouse of the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Pastor Dr. Dorcas Rigathi, EGH.

In his introductory remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Stephen Kiama highlighted efforts that the University has made to support students coming from the less fortunate backgrounds. “The current state of the boy child is a national crisis that needs the concerted efforts of all stakeholders. Schools, churches, and Universities need to create programmes that focus on mentoring the boy child” said Prof. Kiama.

Mr. Johnson Kinyua, the Dean of Students, outlined the conceptualization of the day and took the audience through the actualization journey of the boy child mentorship. “Our vision is to see an empowered boy child and restore their dignity in society. Boy Child is a neglected topic but I am happy that it has elicited positive vibes among our participants in this Hall” said Mr. Kinyua.

In her keynote address, the Second Lady acknowledged the need for concerted efforts towards boosting the boy child mentorship initiative advising men to create groups where they can talk to one another as men and mentor each other. Her Excellency Dr. Dorcas Rigathi utilized the platform to campaign against drug and substance abuse among the youth and advised the youth to be productive. The Second Lady also weighed in her opinion on the state of graduates noting, “We need to come up with a soft -landing exit strategy for our graduating students to master life skills” - H.E. Pastor Dorcas Rigathi.