MKU, EACC partner to entrench integrity among youth
Mount Kenya University (MKU) has entered into a strategic partnership with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) aimed at harnessing the innovation and energy of young people to promote a culture of integrity across the country.
Speaking during the engagement, MKU Chairman and Founder Prof. Simon Gicharu welcomed the collaboration, noting a positive shift in EACC’s approach from enforcement to prevention through education and awareness.
As part of the partnership, MKU and EACC will host a public forum in June 2026 at the Mwai Kibaki Convention Centre, aimed at broadening the integrity discourse beyond academia and fostering nationwide participation in the anti-corruption agenda.
“It is encouraging that EACC is increasingly being recognised for training on integrity and corruption prevention rather than curative measures,” he said.
Prof. Gicharu, who also chairs the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), emphasised the importance of embedding ethics within the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), arguing that early exposure at primary and secondary school levels would make integrity easier to internalise within society.
He added that nurturing ethical values among young learners would help shape a responsible generation that requires minimal supervision in daily life.
“I look forward to a future where schools and universities will have no examination invigilators because everybody will have been trained on ethics and integrity… a day when individuals will regulate themselves without supervision,” he said.
The MKU founder further noted that the partnership would leverage institutional resources, including its media affiliate TV47, to amplify public awareness on good governance and responsible citizenship.
MKU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deogratius Jaganyi said the university plans to integrate integrity studies into its academic programmes, potentially as a mandatory unit for all students.
He revealed that MKU and EACC would jointly develop a course on ethics to benefit not only students but the wider Kenyan community through outreach initiatives.
EACC Vice-Chairperson Dr. Monica W. Muiru, who led the commission’s delegation, reiterated the agency’s commitment to engaging young people as key stakeholders in the fight against corruption. She conveyed apologies from EACC Chairperson David Oginde, who was unable to attend.
The commission highlighted its Kenya Integrity Leadership Forum (KILF), an initiative designed to create platforms for dialogue within universities and bring together public and private sector players to advance integrity.
“We are targeting the education sector to reach young people at their most productive stage in terms of innovation and research,” the EACC team said.
“We are encouraging them to shun corruption, speak out against it, and help reduce its tolerance in society.”
The commission also stressed the need to dismantle the perception that ethical conduct is a barrier to success, instead promoting the view that integrity and good governance are essential pillars of sustainable development.
