U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman had an engaging interaction with our students. This was her 4th University students engagement in Kenyan public University having visited the Technical University of Mombasa, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology and Kisii University.

During her courtesy call with Prof. Cheruiyot, the Vice-Chancellor, Amb. Whitman said that she had admired the University from reviews she had received and had been looking forward to the visit. She mentioned that she was interested in linking the University with Universities in the United States with focus on building capacity in Robotics, Climate Change, Technology and Artificial Intelligence.

Prof. Cheruiyot welcomed Ambassador Whitman and noted her interest in Climate Change which one of the University’s niche. He appreciated the upcoming collaboration with the Embassy and was looking forward to the exchange programmes for the faculty and students as well as hosting faculty and students from Universities in the U.S. He said that this aligned with his vision of internationalization of the University, being part of his agenda to transform and reposition UoE.

Thereafter Ambassador Whitman engaged with our students giving her insights and thoughtful answers to the questions asked. The discussions were varied and wide, ranging from the US and Kenyan politics to the Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti, World Bank and IMF policies and the effect on the Higher Education Model, sports development, infrastructure and the sports economy, the new higher education funding model, academic exchange and research opportunities, Israeli and Palestinian conflict, innovation, incubation and commercialization, green economy and creative economy, the American Visa’s issuance,  the U.S. elections and social issues not forgetting the Gen Z influence in our country and the world. The moderator for the day was the UESO President Hon Kipkorir Elvis Barseen.

She ended her interaction with the students by sharing lessons learnt from her personal experiences as a President and C.E.O of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and the Hewlett-Packard Company, both multinational information technology companies and as the President and CEO of eBay Inc, an online marketplace and digital payments company.

Karibu Tena Madame Ambassador!