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.

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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.

Read: Chuka University donates land to county for industrial park 

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 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. 

Read: Uasu, Egerton University fail to reach deal as don’s strike looms

“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.

“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.

Read: Big changes required in the hiring of university  vice-chancellors, DVCs

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. 

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The Growing Role of AI in Academic Research
AI’s impact on academic research is profound and multifaceted. Tools powered by AI can process and analyze large datasets far more quickly than human researchers, uncovering patterns and insights that would be difficult or impossible to find otherwise. In disciplines ranging from biology to economics, AI applications help in modeling complex systems, predicting outcomes, and optimizing processes.

For students at Tom Mboya University, AI offers exciting opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research. AI can serve as a personal research assistant, helping to sift through academic papers, assist in complex calculations, and even suggest areas of study or experimentation. This capability not only speeds up the research process but also enhances the depth and quality of academic inquiry.

Opportunities Presented by AI
Enhanced Research Efficiency: AI tools can automate routine tasks such as data entry, literature review, and even some elements of data analysis, allowing researchers to focus on more strategic activities.
Improved Accuracy and Precision: AI algorithms reduce human error and increase precision in data analysis, which is crucial for fields like medicine and engineering.
Cross-disciplinary Innovation: AI fosters a multidisciplinary approach to research, encouraging collaborations across different fields, leading to innovative solutions to complex problems.
Risks and Ethical Considerations
While AI offers numerous benefits, it also poses significant risks, especially in the realm of academic research:

Bias and Fairness: AI systems are only as unbiased as the data they are trained on. Biased data can lead to skewed research outcomes, perpetuating and even exacerbating existing inequalities.
Intellectual Property Issues: With AI contributing significantly to the creative process in research, determining the ownership of ideas and findings can become complicated.
Dependence on Technology: Over-reliance on AI tools can lead to a degradation of traditional research skills, such as critical thinking and independent analysis.
Gaps in AI Utilization
Despite its benefits, the integration of AI in academic research at Tom Mboya University is not without gaps:

Access to Resources: Not all students and researchers have equal access to AI tools and technologies, which can create a divide in research opportunities and outcomes.
Lack of Training: There is a significant need for training students and faculty to effectively use AI tools. Understanding AI’s capabilities and limitations is crucial for its ethical and effective application.
Data Privacy Concerns: As AI systems often require vast amounts of data, there are substantial concerns regarding the privacy and security of the data used, particularly sensitive or personal information.
Conclusion
The role of AI in academic research is expanding rapidly, offering exciting opportunities but also presenting significant risks and ethical dilemmas. For Tom Mboya University students, engaging with AI means not only leveraging its capabilities to enhance their research but also understanding and mitigating its risks. As the university continues to integrate AI into its academic programs, addressing these challenges will be crucial for harnessing AI’s full potential responsibly and effectively. This balance will not only shape the research landscape at Tom Mboya University but will also prepare its students for a future where AI will likely be ubiquitous in academic and professional environments.

From academic faculty at world-renowned universities and EdTech startups, to Chief Innovation Officers and tech developers, the conference attendees and speakers are the people best placed to provide insight into the future of education.

This year, Imperial College Business School is co-hosting the event, and so we thought it apt to find out a little more about the ways they are using technology to transform the student experience.

Imperial offers a number of graduate programs from master’s degrees and PhDs to MBA programs. But the main thing the business school prides itself on is its innovative ethos and its STEM-driven technologies.

The Dean of Imperial College Business School Francisco Veloso told us: “We started investing in technology for education a few years ago. That has been present on the courses delivered to our community. The flexibility is quite important.

“For example, when we delivered accounting digitally to the students across Imperial, subscriptions went up 30 percent.

“It’s because all of a sudden if you’re a civil engineering student, [studying accounting] is no longer competing with your structures because you can take it online.” 

Collaboration is key to success

To give one more example of how Imperial College Business School have embraced technology, the school recently joined a group of leading business schools to launch a new digital learning platform to create a more flexible learning experience. 

By combining faculty expertise with cutting-edge technology, the platform hopes to meet growing demands from executives and students for a more flexible, bespoke and globally accessible learning experience.

Known as the Future of Management Education Alliance, the platform aims to transform the future of management education. As the first platform of its kind in the business education sector, Imperial and its partners are hoping for great things.

This new alliance will enable partner schools (Imperial, ESMT Berlin, BI Norwegian Business School, the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, EDHEC, Business School and Ivey Business School), to enhance the student experience through face-to-face, experiential and online learning methods.

Global competition has been enhanced by the rivalry between China and the United States in technology, with the US also pressuring Europe and Japan to curb research with China that is deemed sensitive.

For Asian countries attracting foreign STEM PhD students, the largest contingent has come from China. Countries such as Japan are already talking of more stringent vetting of PhD students from countries including China for more strategically sensitive PhD subjects, and having to rely on local students or foreign students from other countries in the region.

At the same time Beijing has initiated a campaign to keep PhD students and young researchers at home as it expands in major STEM areas as part of its own recently announced drive for self-sufficiency in technology.

Singapore has recently announced increased research funding for new emerging high technology areas and expanding doctoral places at its universities.

However, “in certain areas, especially in critical areas like artificial intelligence (AI), it’s very competitive, and the US is pretty strong,” according to the National University of Singapore (NUS) President Tan Eng Chye.

“There is a need for us to have a strong pipeline of Singaporean and Singapore-based researchers in this particular area [AI] and there are also other areas of critical expertise like quantum engineering where countries can be a bit more protective over such manpower,” Tan told University World News.