Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i was the Chief Guest at the official opening of the new Mwai Kibaki Convention Centre at the Mount Kenya University (MKU) Thika Campus on Thursday, November 4. He was accompanied by the institution’s founder Prof. Simon Gicharu.
The centre has a seating capacity of 2,000 and will serve multiple purposes – including hosting conferences, academic presentations, plays and musical performances. It will be open for use by university students and members of the public.
The Mwai Kibaki Convention Centre has been in the making for the past three years. It is accessible through the university’s main entrance or via a dedicated entrance on General Kago Road.
The building features three levels – Mezannine One and Two as well as a third floor with seminar halls. It incorporates sound proofing to provide the best possible experience.
The centre is named after Kenya’s 3rd President Mwai Kibaki and MKU hopes the facility will help “immortalize his achievements as President”.
Among other things, Kibaki’s two-term stint from 2002 to 2012 saw accelerated economic growth and infrastructure development in Kenya, as well as the introduction of Free Primary Education and expansion of tertiary education.
Notably, it was Kibaki who awarded a Charter to MKU on January 11, 2009 bringing to fruition a dream that started with the founding of MKU’s precursor, Thika Institute of Technology, in 1996.
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Matiang’i voiced government support for private investment in education as he opened the convention centre.
“Greatly honored to commission Mount Kenya Uni Mwai Kibaki Convention Centre, a modern facility to immortalize the education reforms legacy of H.E our 3rd President.”
“Such enterprises supplement much needed funds for scientific research in institutions of higher learning and as government we will continue to support private investment in education as it is key to expand opportunities in the country,” he wrote.