Nigerians top list of foreign graduates at Jomo Kenyatta University

**Catherine Uloka (right), one of the Nigerians who graduated with a PHD in entrepreneurship, with her husband David Uloka during the JKUAT graduation. [Photo: EDWARD KIPLIMO/Standard]**

Nineteen Nigerians have graduated with PhDs from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).

They were part of 75 doctorate students who graduated during the institution’s 27th graduation ceremony yesterday.

A total of 4,086 students graduated with diplomas and degrees in different disciplines offered by the institution.

Apart from the Nigerian students, 14 other foreign students earned their doctorates at the university. This year’s graduation ceremony recorded two firsts for JKUAT since inception. One, it had the largest number of PhD students. Two, it had the most number of foreign students – especially Nigerians.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

Catherine Uloko, the vice rector at Kaduna Polytechnic, was one of them. Her doctorate, like that of many of her fellow countrymen who graduated, is in entrepreneurship.

Dr Uloko said she came to study in Kenya after being referred by the University of Illinois when a partnership was formed to build the capacity of institutional leadership, especially on entrepreneurship.

“The polytechnic management in conjunction with the Federal Government decided to introduce entrepreneurship and decided to go to Illinois but we were told that JKUAT could offer what we were looking for without us necessarily going to the US,” she said.

She added that one of their reasons for coming to Kenya was the testimony by University of Illinois that JKUAT is a centre of excellence.

Ten other Nigerians are still studying for their doctorates at the institution.

“Our prayer is that when we talk to the vice chancellor, we shall be allowed to start these programmes back home in Nigeria,” Uloko said.

But it was not only the Nigerians who stole the show, local politicians and leaders also sought to get more powers to read.

Gichugu MP Njogu Barua, Tharaka Nithi Deputy Governor Eliud Muriithi and Chai Trading Company Limited Managing Director Charles Mbui graduated with doctorate degrees.