UoE Students Pledge to Champion Integrity Ahead of 2027 Polls

Students from the University of Eldoret have pledged to promote integrity, transparency and accountable leadership in their communities following a governance and anti-corruption forum held under the Tupigane na Ufisadi ,TUNU programme.

The session, conducted in partnership with the Uasin Gishu Journalism Association, focused on equipping students with knowledge on governance, transparency and accountability, and encouraging them to take a more active role in the fight against corruption.

The students said the knowledge gained will help them make informed choices as the country heads to the 2027 General Election, noting that voters should vet candidates based on their integrity, track record and qualifications rather than wealth or popularity.

They also committed to sharing lessons learnt with their communities and mobilizing fellow youth to take keen interest in governance and public accountability.

The students lauded the TUNU programme and the Uasin Gishu Journalism Association for creating space for young people to dialogue on corruption, leadership and their role in strengthening accountability.

“What I have learnt from the session is about governance being accountable for the action and as a youth, you should be responsible for the betterment of our country,” said Mary Majimbo, a student at the University of Eldoret.

Speaking after the session, TUNU Programmes Lead Ibrahim Too thanked the sponsors and partners for supporting the initiative.

He said engaging young people was critical to changing the culture around corruption.

“Why we are engaging young members of the society is because from our understanding the culture needs to change, the culture around corruption. Most people have normalized corruption and so many of our generation before the current generation have normalized corruption and we feel like if we engage this generation we can actually change the culture from normalizing to fighting corruption and in the end ensuring that our society is corruption free,” Too said.

The TUNU programme is funded by the European Union in partnership with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Transparency International Kenya and the Institute for Social Accountability (TISA).

It is being implemented at the University of Eldoret, Eldoret National Polytechnic and Moi University, targeting students with sessions on governance, integrity and accountability.

According to the organisers, empowering youth with governance knowledge is crucial as they constitute a significant portion of the electorate and can shape public discourse in their communities.

With the 2027 General Election approaching, the organisers said they will continue engaging students on integrity, responsible citizenship and the need to hold leaders accountable.