(Central page story 1) MKU and EACC collaborate to build a culture of integrity

Mount Kenya University and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission have launched a partnership to promote integrity and anti-corruption education among young people.

The agreement seeks to leverage youth innovation and energy to strengthen a culture of accountability, with both institutions positioning universities as key platforms for nurturing ethical leadership and responsible citizenship.

MKU chairman and founder Simon Gicharu welcomed the collaboration, noting it reflects a shift in the EACC’s approach towards prevention and civic education rather than enforcement alone.

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He said embedding integrity in the education system, particularly through the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), would make ethical behaviour a natural part of society rather than a regulated obligation.

Gicharu, who also chairs the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), said introducing ethics and integrity at primary and secondary school levels would help nurture a generation less reliant on external enforcement.

“I look forward to a future where schools and universities will have no examination invigilators because everybody will have been trained in ethics and integrity,” he said.

“A day when people will take care of themselves and adhere to regulations without supervision would be a great achievement.”

He said the partnership between MKU and EACC will also draw on media platforms such as TV47, alongside other institutional resources, to broaden public engagement on governance and responsible citizenship.

MKU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deogratius Jaganyi said integrity education should be treated as a core component of learning, proposing that it be developed into a common course for all students and extended to the wider community through structured engagement programmes.

He also announced that MKU and EACC will jointly develop a dedicated course on integrity to be offered at the university, targeting both students and members of the public.

The EACC delegation was led by vice chairperson commissioner Monica Muiru, who represented chairperson commissioner David Oginde. She was accompanied by commissioner Col (Rtd) Alfred Mshimba and other officials.

The commission outlined its Kenya Integrity Leadership Forum (KILF), an initiative designed to bring together stakeholders from the public and private sectors to promote ethical leadership and reduce tolerance for corruption, particularly within institutions of higher learning.

Through KILF, the EACC said it is targeting universities as strategic entry points for engaging young people in integrity-building conversations, research and innovation.

According to the commission, young people represent a critical demographic in shaping Kenya’s governance future, and universities offer an ideal environment for cultivating values of accountability, transparency, and ethical leadership.

“We are targeting the education sector through universities to reach out to young people. This is their most productive age in terms of innovation and research,” the EACC team said, adding that the goal is to reduce tolerance for corruption and encourage whistle-blowing where misconduct occurs.

The commission further noted that part of its strategy is to challenge the perception that ethical conduct limits success, instead promoting the idea that integrity and professional achievement are compatible.

“We are encouraging them to shun corruption and speak out where they see it,” the officials said.

“We can work with young people in universities to advance integrity in the country, with the understanding that values are inculcated at a young age.”

The MKU-EACC partnership will include a series of joint activities, including public forums and sensitisation programmes.

A major integrity forum is scheduled for June 2026 at MKU’s Mwai Kibaki Convention Centre.

The two institutions say the long-term goal is to extend the impact of the initiative beyond academic institutions and into broader society, fostering a generation that normalises ethical conduct in public and private life.