The event is taking place at the JKUAT main campus in Juja along the Thika Superhighway.Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) is holding its 46th graduation ceremony on Friday, celebrating students' achievements as they prepare to begin a new chapter.
The ceremony is being held jointly with the 14th graduation ceremony of the Pan African University Institute of Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (PAUISTI), a postgraduate centre focused on research and innovation.
The event is taking place at the JKUAT main campus in Juja along the Thika Superhighway.
Rehearsals were held on Thursday, with graduands familiarising themselves with the procedures, movements and guidelines ahead of the ceremony.
Guests and members of the Graduation Committee were expected to be seated at the graduation square by 8 am.
Speaking ahead of the ceremony, PAUISTI acting director Prof Losenge Turoop said the graduating class is the institute's 12th cohort and has advanced its research agenda.
"Today as we are speaking, PAUISTI is ranked the second best university in Kenya in terms of research and innovation. They are second to Nairobi University," he said.
Turoop said the cohort had developed two patents following extensive research, with the applications now at an advanced stage of approval.
He said students who develop patents undergo entrepreneurial incubation, where they are supported to develop their ideas and trained on how to establish businesses linked to their scientific work.
"The class 2026, the 12th cohort of PAUISTI, should be able to go out and think about Africa in the research that they are doing. They have a home in PAUISTI; we will continue supporting them not just in the course they are doing here, but even after graduation. We have a very strong alumni club that they are invited to join," Turoop said.
He encouraged the graduates to think broadly about how they can apply their skills for the benefit of Africa and the African Union's Agenda 2063, the bloc's long-term development framework.
JKUAT TVET Institute director Dr Fridah Simba congratulated the graduating class and urged them to put their skills to use in academia and the business world.
"We are proud of you; we want you to go out there concur the world through the skills, the knowledge and talents that you have been able to keep thus far at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology."
A section of the graduating students said one of the most memorable aspects of their university journey was gaining practical skills that would make them more competitive in the job market.
JKUAT started in 1981 as a middle-level college known as Jomo Kenyatta College of Agriculture and Technology (JKCAT), admitting its first students on May 4, 1981.
It became a constituent college of Kenyatta University in 1988 and was renamed Jomo Kenyatta University College of Agriculture and Technology (JKUCAT).
The institution became a fully fledged independent university through an Act of Parliament and was officially inaugurated on December 7, 1994.
JKUAT specialises in Agriculture, Engineering, Technology and Applied Sciences, with a strong focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), enterprise development and applied research.
Hosted at JKUAT, PAUISTI began operations in November 2012 when it admitted its pioneer students.
The institute offers Master's and PhD programmes to students recruited from African Union member states.
It focuses on specialised instruction and research in STEM fields, including civil, electrical, mechanical and mechatronic engineering, mathematics, molecular biology and biotechnology.
