MKU, EACC Partner to Harness Youth Power in Promoting Integrity

Mount Kenya University Chairman and Founder Simon Gicharu with Dr. Monica Wanjiru Muiru, Vice Chairperson of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, during a visit by the EACC delegation to MKU.

Mount Kenya University (MKU) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at leveraging the innovation, creativity and energy of young people to promote a culture of integrity and fight corruption in Kenya.

The collaboration brings together academia and a key national institution in an effort to embed ethical values among the youth, who are seen as critical drivers in shaping a corruption-free society.

Speaking during the engagement, MKU Founder and Chairman Prof. Simon Gicharu welcomed the partnership, noting a positive shift in EACC’s approach toward prevention through education and awareness.

“It is encouraging that EACC is increasingly being recognised for training on integrity and corruption prevention, rather than focusing only on curative measures,” he said.

Prof. Gicharu, who also serves as Chairman of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), emphasised the importance of introducing ethics and integrity at early stages of learning through the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

“When integrity and ethics are taught from primary and secondary school levels, they become part of the learner’s mindset and are easier to embrace within the community,” he noted.

He added that nurturing ethical values among young people would create a more responsible and self-regulating society.

“I look forward to a future where schools and universities will not require examination invigilators because learners will have internalised integrity. A time when individuals regulate themselves without supervision. This is a vision we should strive to achieve,” he said.

Prof. Gicharu further highlighted that MKU will utilise its resources, including its sister media platform TV47, to amplify awareness campaigns on integrity, good governance and responsible citizenship.

Mount Kenya University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deogratius Jaganyi also underscored the institution’s commitment to embedding integrity in education, revealing plans to introduce a mandatory integrity course.

“Integrity can be developed as a common unit that every student must undertake. We also aim to extend this to the wider community through student-driven engagements,” he said.

He added that MKU and EACC will jointly develop a comprehensive integrity course targeting not only students but the broader Kenyan public.

On its part, the EACC delegation, led by Vice-Chairperson Dr. Monica W. Muiru, who conveyed apologies from Commission Chairperson David Oginde, reaffirmed the commission’s focus on youth engagement as a key strategy in combating corruption.

The team, which included Commissioner Col. (Rtd) Alfred M. Mshimba and other officials, highlighted the role of the Kenya Integrity Leadership Forum (KILF), an EACC initiative designed to create platforms for dialogue on integrity within universities.

“We are targeting universities because young people are at their most productive stage in terms of innovation and research. We want them to champion integrity and speak out against corruption,” the EACC team noted.

MKU Chairman Prof. Simon Gicharu presents a token of appreciation to EACC Vice Chairperson Dr. Monica Wanjiru Muiru.

The commission emphasised that empowering young people with ethical values is key to dismantling the long-held belief that integrity is a barrier to success.

“We want to build a generation that understands that ethics pays. That advancing integrity is not a disadvantage, but a strength,” they added.

As part of the partnership, MKU and EACC will roll out a series of activities, including a major public forum scheduled for June 2026 at the Mwai Kibaki Convention Centre. The initiative aims to extend the impact of the collaboration beyond academic institutions and into the wider society.

Participants also took part in discussions aimed at strengthening collaboration between public and private sector stakeholders, with a shared goal of reducing tolerance to corruption across the country.

The MKU–EACC partnership marks a significant step toward integrating ethical leadership into education and empowering the next generation to drive accountability, transparency, and good governance in Kenya.