A New Dawn: Be the Master Of Your Own Destiny

ADDRESS BY Prof. Deogratius JAGANYI, VICE-CHANCELLOR

1. Preliminaries

It gives me immense pleasure and pride to warmly welcome you to Mount Kenya University, your new home away from home for the next few years.

I am happy to be here this morning to usher you into this new chapter in your lives as you join MKU for the new students and re-join MKU for those among you who have come back to advance your studies.

To you all, on behalf of the MKU fraternity and on my own behalf, I wholeheartedly welcome you to MKU. Allow me to congratulate you all for securing admission into your respective courses at MKU.

Additionally, we do not take it for granted that you applied to join MKU out of many other choices; thus, thank you for the confidence you have placed in us. We at MKU believe in the diverse potentials of our students, and I assure you of our commitment to walk with you this journey that we are starting today as you grow into capable, ethical, confident, and impactful individuals.

• Your Stay at MKU as Our Student

Allow me also to briefly re-echo the words that must have been mentioned by my other colleagues earlier on to you regarding your stay at MKU.

We are happy to assure each one of you that at MKU, we shall do all that is possible to ensure your academic journey is endearing, and progressive from one semester to the other, and one academic year to the other, culminating into a timely graduation. We shall diligently play our role but each one of you must also play your roles with an equal measure of diligence. Now that you are already admitted, your journey has started. KARIBUNI SANA (YOU ARE MOST WELCOME).

A New Dawn – Be the Master of Your Own Destiny

As you take your first steps into university life, I invite you to reflect on this guiding message which is the theme of my message to you this morning:

A NEW DAWN – BE THE MASTER OF YOUR OWN DESTINY

The message that I am passing to you this morning should be your guiding light for the time you will be here at MKU and beyond. Through this message, I hope you will reflect along with me on your new role as our student at MKU both for the new students as well as for the advancing students.

A new dawn signifies fresh beginnings, new possibilities, and renewed purpose. The past, with all its challenges and limitations, no longer defines you. From today onward, what matters most is not where you come from, but where you choose to go.

University life will give you something powerful: choice.

• You will choose how you manage your time.

• You will choose the values you stand for.
• You will choose whether to settle for average or strive for excellence.

And in those choices lies your destiny.

Being the master of your own destiny does not mean life will be easy. It means you will take responsibility; responsibility for your actions, your discipline, your growth, and your future. It means understanding that success is not handed out; it is earned through consistency, integrity, and hard work.

Therefore, allow me to ask the following two questions;

Why are you here?

Why did you opt to join MKU for tertiary education?

In giving you the answers to these questions, I wish to refer to two quotes from the words of Ayn Rand, the Russian-born American author and philosopher.

According to Ayn Rand,

“In order to be in control of your life, you must have a purpose – a productive purpose”.

She also wrote that,

“The man (or woman) who does not value himself, cannot value anything or anyone”.

First of all, yes, you all do have a life purpose and you are aware about your life purpose or aspiration, namely to grow through your academic engagements at the university and become career persons, or business persons.

So, you all joined MKU because you need to study and get your certificates, diplomas, degrees, and so on. Thus, you are here first and foremost because you value yourselves. You want to grow into the best person that you can possibly be. Therefore, you do have a purpose and you love yourselves as you wish to grow academically. This is the basic consideration and you are good to go.

At MKU, we assure you of our best effort in assisting you to be the best that you can be as guided by your own life-purpose. We shall provide you with a holistic education that shall shape your mind-set, build your character, inculcate appropriate skill in you, and obviously, nurture or improve your purpose of life. In this way, we shall work tirelessly together to assist you grow to be the best person that you can be.

To achieve this, you must also strive for the following;

1. Manage Your Time Efficiently

University life gives you freedom, that is, freedom of thought, of association, and freedom of choice. However, freedom without self-leadership can easily become a trap.

Students who succeed are not always the most gifted, but those who learn to manage their time well. So, manage your time well as you live a purpose-driven life at the University. Remember, time is a very important resource that needs to be well utilized.

1. Need to Engage in Co-Curriculum Education

While lectures, assignments, and examinations are important, there is a powerful education that happens outside the classroom. You will add value to your university life through participation in student-leadership and governance activities; clubs, societies, and innovation hubs; Community outreach and volunteerism; sports, creative arts and creative expression including drama, music and many others are vital engagements. Please embrace them.

These will help you to gain soft skills that are extremely vital in the world of work. You will learn collaborative-engagement skills of living with people who are different from you in terms of ideas, cultural orientations, political differences as well as the art of listening and communication. 

1. Mind Your Character, Values, and Integrity

Academic success requires good character for one to be of use. This is why soft skills are so vital and you have to deliberately nurture them. When a person combines intelligence and integrity, you become the most sought-after individual. Unfortunately, a person of intelligence who has no integrity is a dangerous person and he or she is an empty person, for intelligence without integrity is dangerous.

At MKU, we place strong emphasis on values and we urge you to be our best students that nurture those good values that you already have but also reinforce them. As students, you will be faced by diverse choices where some are easy choices to make, others are difficult choices. How you handle academic honesty, peer pressure, relationships, and responsibility will define the person you are. Good character makes the person. I do not want to belabor this too much for others have mentioned the same to you. But, again and again, be informed and note that you are expected to uphold the highest ethical standards, not because you are being monitored, but because you have opted for good morals and integrity as a part of your hallmark for success and reputation at all times. In this way, you will very easily become ambassadors of integrity and ethical engagements that will propel you to be bold, capable, and confident role models to others.

1. Cultivate Resilience and Adaptability

University life is going to throw some unexpected challenges your way. You will encounter academic pressures, social adjustments, and personal growth hurdles. That is why it is so important to cultivate resilience which is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and adaptability which is the readiness to embrace new situations. These traits are key to thriving in your studies and beyond.

Building resilience comes from persistence, problem-solving, and learning from your mistakes. On the other hand, adaptability helps you flourish in various environments, welcome fresh ideas, and grab opportunities as they arise. These qualities will not only help you get through university but also equip you to handle the complexities of life after graduation.

• Build Meaningful Relationships and Networks

Success is seldom a solo journey. Forming genuine relationships with your peers, mentors, lecturers, and industry professionals can significantly influence your academic and personal path. Make a conscious effort to connect with people who challenge you intellectually, inspire you morally, and support your goals.

Networking goes beyond just swapping contact information; it’s about fostering mutual growth, trust, and collaboration. At MKU, you’ll find a vibrant community that provides a fantastic backdrop for building these connections. Your friendships and networks can evolve into your support system, collaborators, and even future partners in both life and career.

• You Must Strive for Excellence in a Rapidly Changing World

The world we are living in today is defined by rapid technological changes where artificial intelligence or AI, automation, data science, and digital platforms are reshaping every industry and profession. At MKU, we encourage you to responsibly and ethically embrace artificial intelligence and digital tools not as shortcuts, but as powerful resources for learning, innovation, and problem-solving for your academic growth and for the good of the society in general.

Use AI to expand your thinking, to analyze complex information, to support research, and to develop solutions that improve lives. But always remember: technology must serve humanity, not replace integrity, originality, or ethical judgment. Your mind, your values, and your creativity remain your greatest assets that need continuous nurturing.

The future belongs to those who can think critically, adapt quickly, collaborate effectively, and innovate boldly. Mount Kenya University is committed to preparing you for that future—one where you shall not be mere job seekers, but job creators, instrumental change agents, and useful leaders.

• Conclusion

Dear students, as I conclude, remember you are here because you earned this opportunity. The doors have opened and it is up to you to walk through them with a sense of purpose.

Please remind yourselves that you have entered into MKU which gives you unlimited learning environment that is intentionally designed to nurture your talents, stimulate your curiosity, and equip you to contribute meaningfully to your personal growth and to the society.

As your Vice-Chancellor, and on behalf of the entire MKU community, I assure you of our commitment to support, guide, and equip you. But the journey is yours.

Embrace your potential and mind your character, as you strive to be the best that you can be. The space is open for you to learn from the best models at MKU and excel. I wish you a fulfilling, transformative, and an endearing university life experience. Thus, I look forward to seeing you all during your graduation having accomplished all the expected tasks promptly for a timely graduation.

Thank you, and God bless you all.

Prof. Deogratius JAGANYI

VICE-CHANCELLOR