The University participated at the 9th U6 + Consortium’s International Conference, which was held between 23rd and 25th September, 2025 in Banjul Gambia. The theme of the conference was Celebrating Achievements, Addressing Challenges and Envisioning Brighter Futures for Africa.  It had two physical Representatives – Prof. Lizzy Mwamburi who was a Lead Speaker in the Thematic Area of Medicine, Allied Health Sciences and Pharmacy for Better Societies, and Prof. Nicholas W. Makau who is the Chairman of the U6+ Consortium’s activities within the University who represented the Vice-Chancellor. It had over 123 delegates (plus non-presenting delegates), 19 Institutions, 5 Countries, 6 Vice-Chancellors in attendance and 2 representatives. It was held at the Kairaba Hotel located at the Serekunda area of the greater Banjul. It was officially opened by the Minister of Higher Education, Professor Pierre Gomez.

The university had 15 presentations, one of which was physical as indicated below:

1. Eliaz Komen, N.W. Makau, K.K. Korir, Z. M. Mapelu, D. Choge; Structural and Optical Properties of 2D MoS2 Doped with Selected 3d Transition Metals: A DFT Study.
2. Faith Maina, The Gendered Crucible: The Nexus of Gender; Climate Change, and Agriculture in Kenya.
3. Hilda Jepleting, James Barasa and Emily J. Chemoiwa; Exploring Enteromius Species (Pisces: Cyprinidae) Diversity Through Barcording in Small Water Bodies Within the North Rift Region, Kenya.
4. Waswa Sarah Nakhumicha, Samuel Kariuki, Nehemiah Ongeso Mosioma, Moses Ngeiywa; Host Species Influence Bat-Virome Diversity Distribution in Mt. Elgon, Kenya.
5. Ouma Samson Omondi; Impact of land use changes on migratory wild ungulates in Kitengela conservation area, Kenya.
6. Charity Nafuna Barasa, Gelas Simiyu, Judith Khazenzi; Riverine Ecosystem Health and Potential for Sustainable Restoration: A case of River Kiminini, Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya
7. Fidelis Nekesa Samita; Erythrina sacleuxii Hua: A Review of its Traditional uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology.
8. Kipkosgei Lynn J, Sudoi Vincent K., Kimanzi Johnstone K.; Modeling Climate Change Impacts on Habitat Suitability for African Elephants in the Nasalot-South Turkana-Kerio Valley Ecosystem, Kenya
9. Pamela Mwikali, George Ariya, Lizzy Mwamburi; Global Meta-Analysis on the Use of Beauveria bassiana for Biological Locust Control and Its Role in Reducing Pesticide Burden for Societal Well-being
10. Ariya George; Building a Food System Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: A Co-Creative Model for Virtual Incubation.
11. Dr. Zacharia Shitote, Prof. Robert Otuya, Dr. Francis Ikapel Omete, Ms Clara Chepkemoi , Mr. Kenneth Amakobe; Impact of Mentoring and Life Skills Training on University Students' Mental Health and Social Concerns in Selected Universities in Kenya
12. Peter Kirui; Social Media Activism in East Africa: Security threat or government overreach?
13. Lizzy Mwamburi, George Ariya, Pamela Mwikali, Md. Azizul Haque; Endophytic Entomopathogenic Fungi Beauveria Bassiana and Metarhizium Anisopliae Promote Aerial and Root Biomass of Tomato Plants Infested With Spodoptera Frugiperda Larvae
14. Milton Mangana Kisundi, Gelas Simiyu; Assessing the Ecosystem Health of River Nzoia, Kenya: Water Quality, Macro Invertebrates and Malaria vector larvae.

The conference is normally organized annually by the U6 + consortium, on a rotational basis, of which University of Eldoret is a founding member. The Consortium has over 11 universities across Africa;

• Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Nigeria;
• Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa;
• University of Eldoret, Eldoret, Kenya;
• Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria;
• Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria;
• University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria;
• University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana;
• University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria;
• University of the Gambia, Banjul, The Gambia;
• Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa.

Apart for the conference, these Universities have come together in response to the developmental challenges facing Africa, while recognizing the critical role of universities in achieving continental objectives

During the conference, the University of Eldoret was selected to host the 10th U6 + International Conference in 2026. The conference will feature not only the paper and poster presentations, but also exhibitions among others.

The Consortium has a constitution which guides its operations and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that stipulates its operations, as well as the role of each member institution. The consortium has agreed to cooperate in a variety of joint academic and educational activities that shall include (but will not be limited to):

• Organizing, promoting, and coordinating long and short-term faculty and student exchanges and other academic activities, provided that all participants are appropriately qualified and there are adequate financial resources;
• Deploying Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to enhance access to the program and instructional delivery; 
  Providing exchange internship opportunities for qualified students of the six Universities;
• Facilitating and coordinating joint research activities and curriculum development;
• Organizing seminars, academic interactive sessions, and other professional development activities;
• Organizing annual joint international conferences/workshops to be hosted on a rotational basis by the six Universities;
• Exchanging academic materials and other educational and relevant cultural information;
• Coordinating special short-term academic programs, including short-term seminars to introduce faculty, staff, students, and friends of the institutions to general cultural activities and other areas of specialized learning;
• Enhancing the capacity of the six Universities to carry out relevant research and to secure the required external funding for same;
• Exchanging published information, particularly the linkage of automated and virtual libraries;
• Supervising jointly post-graduate projects and theses;
• Serving on joint Editorial Boards of official and recognized journals of the U6+ Institutions;
• Exchanging Professorial External Assessors;
• Exchanging External Examiners; and
• Organizing inter-university sports and extra-curricular activities among the U6+ Institutions.

These Institutions have further agreed to make special efforts, individually and in concert to secure appropriate financing from private, state, provincial, national and international sources to support the activities contemplated in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The institutions have also agreed to produce a joint annual report which will summarize and evaluate the previous year’s activities and list the coming year’s projects and activities.

One of the Key outcomes of the consortium is the establishment of the African Center for Herbal Research, Ilorin (ACHRI) - https://achri.unilorin.edu.ng/ in 2015.

The Consortium has identified the following research themes with leadership as indicated;

• Tourism – The University of the Gambia (UTG) and the University of Eldoret (UoE)
• Oceans Economy – Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), South Africa and University of Calabar (UNICAL), Nigeria.
• Creative Arts – Kwara State University (KWASU), Nigeria and University of the Cape Coast (UCC), Ghana.
• Herbal Research – University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Nigeria.
• ICT – Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Nigeria and CPUT, South Africa.