Introducing the 6th Council

31^st January 2014 will go down as a day to be remembered in the history of Strathmore University. It is on this day that students decided who was best fit to represent them in the 6th Student Council, of all the contestants who vied for the nine elective positions.

 

After a period of 2 weeks of engaging, interactive and to some contestants, challenging campaigns, it was now time to go to make a choice.

 

After the submission of applications to vie, campaigns officially kicked off on 17^th January. The contestants were expected to go around classes and present to their fellow students their manifestos and the goals they wanted to achieve once elected to office, in the hope of winning their votes and support.

 

The first week of campaigns entailed the contestants presenting their speeches at the school’s auditorium explaining in detail their plans, manifestos and goals they hoped to achieve. During the second week they were expected to attend debates in which they would be engaged in a session of question and answer by the students on how they intended to work once in office. Through this sessions they also got ideas and opinions of the students.

 

The elections took place on Friday from 10.00am to 6.00pm as planned by the Electoral Committee that organised the entire election process; a Committee run by students appointed on a yearly basis. The process begun with the confirmation of names of the voters, this was done to identify whether one was a delegate voting on behalf of a class or not, after which they were given nine ballot papers and they would proceed to the auditorium where they cast their votes under tight security.

 

 The system of election adopted by the University is one where a maximum number of 10 delegates vote on behalf of the class. A total number of 415 delegates voted in an election that the Dean of Students Mr Paul Ochieng’ has for a long time declared to be ‘the most peacefully and civilised Student Council elections in the country’.

 

The following students were elected:

 

1. Festus Ogindo – Chairperson
2. Vincent Wabwoba – Vice Chairperson
3. Duncan Mnyogha- Secretary
4. Ruth Ambogo- Public Relations Representative
5. Ernest Kirui- Finance Representative
6. Moses K. Ndeda- Male Academic Representative
7. Anne Rerimoi- Female Academic Representative
8. Isaac Okello- Male Sports Representative
9. Betty Kamande- Female Sports Representative

 

Congratulations to the incoming 6^th Student Council as they take office and begin work. A great task awaits them; to serve diligently and maintain the spirit and letter of Strathmore University, ‘That all may be one’.

 

LEADERSHIP FORUM:AS IT HAPPENED

Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training and experience. Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the group in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent.

On Friday 16th of August all roads of Strathmore were leading to Management Science Building (MSB 2) for the leadership forum organized by the Student Council with assistance of Strathmore Human Resource Club (SHREC). The forum was themed: Suddenly a new way to rethink: Youthful, Transformational and Servant leadership. The speakers were: Johnson Mwakazi (Senior News Anchor –Citizen TV), James Smart (Senior News Anchor-KTN TV), Jason Nyantino (Presenter Agenda-Kenya and CEO MEDEVA) and David Osiany (Executive-Director Y-LEAD Africa)

The forum started by a welcome note from Kassam Elvis –Secretary of Student Council. He went ahead to give the fundamental questions the forum aimed to answer:
• What is the definition of leadership?
• What really does it take to be a leader?
• What does the future has in store for youthful leadership?
• What does transformational leadership entail?
• What does servant leadership entail?
• What can we do to promote youthful leadership?

David Osiany then took the stage and his presentation was themed on breaking down the word LEADERSHIP:
L-Learning: A leader must be willing to learn
E– Excellence: Excellence is not optional it must be a habit for any leader.
A-Action: Leaders must always take action
D-Development: A leader must be development conscious; develop the people he/she leads.
E– Endearment:
R-Reliable: A leader must be someone his/her followers can rely on.
S-Strategy: A leader must be strategic to achieve results in any plan he/she has.
H-Hindsight: A leader must be able to look back where he/she has come from and focus on the future.
I-Integrity:
P-Progress: A leader must always be focused on adding on what he/she has. A leader must keep improving.

With David Osiany and Jason Nyantino
James Smart challenged the youth to take advantage of their age and bring the much desired change needed to make the difference that all yearn for.

With James Smart

Jason Nyantino then took the stage and below is an extract of his presentation:

Who is a leader?
A leader is simply one who leads others
A leader has the following characteristics:
• Visionary
• A motivator

Youthful Leadership
Youthful leadership is not determined by age but rather the ideas or thinking the leader has.

Transformational leadership
Leadership is transformational if it improves the life of the followers.

He finished by saying: When the power of love overtakes the love of power then the world would be a better place.

Johnson Mwakazi then took the stage and below is an extract of his presentation:

Leadership starts with you.
Here is the underlying statement- Within everyone, within you, within me, there is a leader waiting to be unleashed. Lead yourself first.

It would be a shame to die without making a difference
You don’t want people to look at you as a suspect but as a prospect. Let them see you as person of difference. Make a difference in someone’s life: touch lives.

In the end the forum was a success and all who came left motivated, challenged and encouraged to be better leaders in the different capacities they are in.

Clubs and societies play a big role in student life and as a council we seek to promote the clubs and societies and working with SHREC is just but the beginning. The Student Council remains committed in achieving its mandate to all students and the Strathmore fraternity at large.

STUDENT COUNCIL: Leadership and Service at its best.

By Kassam Elvis

STRATHMORE JAGUARS LIFT NAKURU TOURNAMENT

There have been plenty of incredible teams and incredible seasons in world football. FC Barcelona dominated 2009 football and perhaps achieved the greatest footballing year in the history of international football. The most convincing argument to place Barcelona on top is their record. They participated in six competitions and won them all.

In the 1995-96 National Basketball Association (NBA) league season Chicago Bulls led by the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, posted the best regular season NBA record of all time (72-10) and went on to defeat the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals.

The way these two groups of players melded together to reach their goals is inspiring. Individually, none of them—even the immensely talented Michael Jordan, Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o or Andres Iniesta—could have accomplished what they did together. They needed each other to succeed. They needed team work.

Over the weekend of 24-25th of August 2013 Strathmore Men Volleyball team (Jaguars) displayed an outstanding team work during the Nakuru Tournament held at Nakuru Polytechnic in Nakuru County.
The team started the tournament on a high note by hammering USIU three sets to nil. Later on the team went ahead to set more records at the tournament by ambushing all their opponents’ three sets to nil.

The results were as follows:
Saturday-24th August
Strathmore vs USIU 3:0
Strathmore vs Daystar 3:0

Sunday -25th August
Strathmore vs MKU 3:0
Strathmore vs Ravine TTI 3:0

What rightfully belongs to you, belongs to you. What is meant is meant to happen will still happen even if it is delayed. In the end the best of the best received their reward for the good display of discipline, team work and passion- Strathmore Jaguars lifted the Nakuru Tournament trophy. The joy and smiles could not be hidden and the Head Coach Josp Barasa had this to say in the end “Due to the players’ hardwork, determination and discipline they emerged the best and I believe they will always do that.”

Congrats! Congrats! Jaguars –the best of the best in volleyball.

By Kassam Elvis

WELCOME NOTE DURING LEADERSHIP FORUM

Let me take this chance to first thank all of you for being here today. I want to thank you for taking your precious time to attend this forum. I would like to welcome all of you: Strathmore Students, non-Strathmore students and our guests’ speakers to this forum. I would like to thank our guests who on my contact with them gladly accepted my invitation to speak in this forum. Karibuni sana. Feel at home.

Many times I often imagine the men and women who gave up their few earthly belongings and retired to living in caves and forests fighting for this country’s self-rule. The fight was tough but they fought believing they had an obligation to fulfill and something to solve.
They fought believing that land problems would be gone.
They fought believing that each person would be treated same.
They fought believing that each person would be provided with equal opportunities.
They fought believing that each person would be provided with the basic needs he/she needed.

But 50 years later the same problems they fought for are still among us if not worse. What happened??
Leadership!!Leadership!!!Leadership!!!

This week on Monday the world marked the International Youth Day but looking across Africa in terms of leadership much still needs to be done to bring the youth on board in terms of leadership:

Look at Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe at 89 years of age he still believes he has the interests of his country and its people at heart despite leading them to more than six digit figure inflation
Look at Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda who despite having being in power for the last 27 years still cannot imagine leaving what he believes he got through the gun and will lose through the gun.
Look at José Eduardo dos Santos of Angola at 71 years old and having ruled Angola from 1979 still believes he is strong enough to continue and that Angola cannot do without him.
Look at Paul Biya of Cameroon at 80 years old now, who in 2004, annoyed by the criticisms of international vote-monitoring groups, he paid for his own set of international observers, six ex-U.S. congressmen, who certified his election as free and fair.
Where are the youth?

This forum seeks to discuss the following key fundamental questions:
What is the definition of leadership?
What really does it take to be a leader?
What does the future has in store for youthful leadership?
What does transformational leadership entail?
What does servant leadership entail?
What can we do to promote youthful leadership?

Thank you very much and welcome to Strathmore University and welcome to this leadership forum. Karibuni sana Strathmore!!!

By Kassam Elvis

Are you interested in a career in politics and public leadership?

If you are then, Steve Jarding, a very good professor from Harvard University and  a friend of the university too,would like to speak to you on TUESDAY, 15th NEXT WEEK at the SBS boardroom from 3pm.

Steve Jarding’s lifetime of work on the political stage is extensive and unparalleled. He is a nationally and internationally renowned educator, scholar, author, editor, speaker, and political commentator. For the past 35 years, Jarding has served as a senior political strategist and campaign manager who has taught, consulted or managed political campaigns or political causes throughout the United States as well as in Europe, Asia and South America.

FOR HIS FULL PROFILE please click here: Steve Jarding

To confirm your attendance please RSVP Student council at studentcouncil@strathmore.edu