St. Paul’s University: A training hub for researchers, innovators, and problem solvers

Responding to this reality, St. Paul’s University has positioned itself over the years as a beacon of excellence in providing high-quality, relevant, world-class education at an affordable cost.

On a moist chilly Wednesday morning, we meet Prof. James Kombo, the Vice Chancellor at St. Paul’s University, to share insights on what has made the university a market leader in training students who have made a significant impact on society.

In the company of other members of the university’s management board, including Prof. Abraham Waithima, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC), Academic Affairs and Rev. Truphosa Kwaka-Sumba, the Ag. DVC, Finance and Administration, the duo delved into a detailed conversation that provided a true picture of what it takes to train and nurture an all-rounded graduate who has the mindset to innovate and provide solutions to the challenges facing society.

This meeting takes place in the main campus in Limuru, a campus surrounded by well-manicured lush green gardens that provide an impeccable ambience for the natural fauna to flourish; an ideal environment for learning.

The timing for this interview is worth mentioning; the Vice Chancellor and the two DVCs are just preparing to join students and staff for a chapel service, where both staff and students are well nourished spiritually.

Every day between 11.30 am and 1:00 pm, the university encourages students and staff to attend an optional service at the chapel, as part of their strategy to produce students who are not only academically qualified but also have a strong value system.

“Employers are not just looking at the papers anymore. With integrity becoming a major issue in the country recently, many employers are factoring in ethics while considering the graduates to pick,” posed Prof. Kombo.

Founded in 1903, the university has had a long history of training reputable members of society whose skills and knowledge are contributing towards the growth and transformation of the various sectors of the economy in Africa and beyond.

Chartered in 2007 by the late His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, the university’s authority in offering high-value academic programmes was a testament to the long years of commitment to excellence in service delivery. A number of innovative programmes were introduced spread across different faculties and schools.

“With the world facing many challenges on matters to do with climate change, we have had to introduce courses such as Eco-theology for instance, which focus on the concept of sustainability,” noted Prof. Kombo.  

Ecotheology encourages the co-existence of Science and Faith, as well as the consumption of natural resources in a manner that ensures they are not depleted for the sake of future generations.

“We have divided Science and Faith because of a false view that the world is secular but they can actually go together. When you find the nexus where the two co-exist, then you can come up with holistic solutions to the problems man faces,” noted Prof. Kombo.

The university also increased its focus on courses such as development studies, which cover issues that the world is grappling with currently such as poverty eradication, economic empowerment and peace.

“We have a student studying Peace and Conflict Resolution, who began a project on reconciliation back at home and as a result, won a scholarship and secured placement in the UN as a global peace ambassador,” said Rev. Truphosa.

With division along religious lines re-emerging as an issue, the university also introduced courses such as Christian and Muslim Relations, that seek to harmonise relations between the two religions.

“We recently set up a physical centre in Eastleigh strategically to give the two groups a platform to dialogue and work towards harmony, peace and development. As a result of this programme, the university has received numerous awards globally,” said Rev. Truphosa.

According to Prof. Waithima, the increasing need for employers seeking workers who can offer solutions necessitated the need for the university to evolve and develop learning strategies that inculcate innovation, creativity and design thinking in its training curricula.

This, he says, has encompassed a change in the mode of learning from theoretical, where knowledge is dumped on the learners to practical, an environment that stimulates thought and focuses on skills creation.

“Some of our students, founded EcoBana, an innovation that produces biodegradable, eco-friendly and hygienic sanitary pads from banana fibres. The innovation has won several awards including the Global Hult Prize where the students won Ksh.120 million,” said Prof. Waithima.

These are just examples of how we have embedded an environment of innovation among our students to provide solutions to some of the problems the world is facing, stimulated by the drive to make a significant impact in modern society.

According to the University Don, a change in the mode of learning has become particularly crucial, as institutions of higher learning prepare to admit students who will be transiting from the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in 2029.

“CBC is completely different from what we have been doing, therefore we have to train our faculty accordingly, invest in new equipment and tweak the curriculum to make sure it is not irrelevant,” remarked Prof. Waithima.

Unlike the days of yore, when university education was highly valued, Prof. Waithima, says that it has become less prestigious to go to the university and that not many people are willing to put up with up to four years to study a course that is no longer marketable.

Adapting to the changing demographics has thus called for the university to shift their mindset and develop curricula in collaboration with industry experts, to avoid preparing guidelines that do not meet the industry needs or no one will consume.

The proliferation of new technologies at the workplace has also made it crucial to equip students with skills in ICT, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, robotics, the internet of things, virtual reality, programming, cyber security and data protection.

This is to ensure that they do not have a hard time adjusting to the modern-day workplace when they graduate, thus having to go for additional studies.

“As such, we have had to make part of our learning virtual, even for those students who have taken up physical learning courses,” remarked Rev. Truphosa.

The university puts greater emphasis on the exposure that students get through activities such as exchange programmes, industrial attachments, international trips and participation in regional and international seminars.

“What such activities do is that they expose the students to the real world, therefore they can relate what they learn in class to its application in the industry and that makes them ready for the market,” posed Rev. Truphosa.

The university has also invested in a team of qualified professionals who offer counselling services to students and staff whenever they are in need of socio-psycho support.

“Ever since Covid-19, something happened to us that changed our psyche. We are still living with that trauma which manifests in different ways, that is why mental health has become a critical area of focus,” said Rev. Truphosa.

While acknowledging the gains made, the VC Prof. James Kombo says that the new changes in university funding models have put a strain on university education, and this is something that needs to be addressed.

“We would have wanted the government to chip in but of course, the way higher education is configured nowadays is limiting that entirely to parents who are feeling the pressure,” remarked Prof. Kombo.

However, these ever-changing realities have triggered a sense of awakening in the leadership of the university.

The management has ensured all the programs offered across our five schools: Education and Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Communication and Computer Studies, Business and Leadership and Theology meet the market demands with regard to the curricula that are curated by topnotch experts from the lens of societal existing realities.