One of the key events worth remembering in the life of a university student is the Vice-Chancellor’s Address. It is probably the first time that the learners being addressed come close to a professor. Indeed, it is not every day that students get a chance to interact with the vice-chancellor—the university chief executive— whose busy schedule cuts from the rest of the university population.
At the University of Nairobi, the newly installed VC, Prof Ayub Gitau, will be addressing the First Year students (popularly known as Freshers) on August 27 at the iconic Taifa Hall from 2.30pm.
Last year, the acting VC, Prof Margaret Hutchinson, addressed the Freshers at the same venue and told them the address wasn’t a mere tradition, but a chance to be introduced to university life officially.
“You must see yourselves as leaders in the making, as innovators, as peacemakers and as torchbearers of the University of Nairobi,” Prof Hutchinson told the learners, listing key take-homes for a well-curated thinker.
“If you allow weeds—fear, procrastination, and doubt—to grow unchecked, they will choke your potential. But if you choose to sow seeds of discipline, consistency, and curiosity, your life will blossom with success, resilience, and impact,” Karatina University
VC, Prof Linus Gitonga, told the 2025 Freshers. Prof Gitonga told the new students to tend the mind carefully as the “greatest asset” by being disciplined, practising, and being persistent “and there will be no limit to what you can achieve.”
At Maasai Mara University, Prof Peninah Aloo-Obudho told the new students to do “the right things at the right time, with the right people, and in the right places.” Using time well, she added that by balancing academics with other opportunities, and embracing discipline, “the sky will not be the limit for you.”
Getting such wisdom coming from the horse’s mouth is such a privilege that no student should not witness as they launch their journey to become managers, technical people, and leaders. And, it is not enough to watch the same on various online platforms.
Many years after graduation is when people start appreciating what they were told as
First Years while the rest also rue missing such chances that they realise was required to start the life climb with a rare tenacity and resilience.
For a long time, some new students have listened to older students or graduates who misadvise them, saying the address is nothing but a university ritual that carries little relevance. Unfortunately, some of the naysayers are parents and guardians who may be misdirecting their children to report to learning stations “when lectures are already in top gear”.
Why should a learner only focus on lectures while university is more than attending classes? As a matter of fact, new people need a proper grounding to settle in their studies that, the youth should know, is a lifelong journey.
A good image is people advanced in age returning to school, either to start new programmes or complete what they must have left unfinished perhaps on the wrong advice of people who may have reduced university life to lectures or degrees.
When he was Kenyatta University VC, Prof George Eshiwani—‘Georgy’ to his students—was such an orator that missing his events would be a big loss. He got standing ovation during Fresher VC address, luncheons, culture week extravaganza, student elections, and other events.
Although some accused Eshiwani of being a darling of politicians, his addresses captured the essence of innovation, idea generation, and the future that KU’s chapter of
African Virtual University (AVU) was implemented during his tenure. Then, virtual classes were a distant dream if not a mirage.
Indeed, the VC Freshers address is just one of the events that should usher the learners into the life of debate, public speaking, dreaming, and confidence building, especially when the new students get a chance to ask the professors questions face-to- face.
While some will be trembling as they engage the top brass and their lecturers for the first time, every student ought to marshall the much-needed strength to engage with the top thinkers drawn from various faculties and departments.
Freshers, here is a chance to plant the seeds of greatness with the top sower being the vice-chancellor.
