Alumni Come Back: Medical Class of 1970 give Ksh. 6 M Scholarships

On July 4, 1970, a boy and a girl entered the gates of the University of Nairobi hungry for knowledge. On July 4, 2020 exactly 50 years later the boy and the girl returned to their alma mater from where they once drunk from the Fountain of Knowledge.

The girl Dr. Betty Gikonyo and the boy Dr. Frank Njenga came back 50 years later representing their Medical Class of 1970 to commemorate their Golden Jubilee and give back to their alma mater. The boy and girl together with their classmates, Medicine Class of 1970 pledged to offer a full six year Scholarship to 5 needy students pursuing Bachelor Medicine and Surgery.

The scholarship is worth Ksh. 6 Million. The two were received by the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Stephen Kiama, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Affairs, Prof. Julius Ogengo and the Chairman UoN Alumni Association, Mr. Isaac Awuondo.

The Vice-Chancellor appreciated this great gesture and pledged to continue supporting efforts by the Alumni Association to give back to their alma mater. 

“Your message of ‘Boy and Girl return to the University 50 years later’ will obviously inspire the Alumni “Come back Campaign “and help us connect with more members to support the University,” said Prof. Kiama. “Giving is a gift from God. There are so many rich people in the world but only a few have the spirit of giving back to society. Your magnanimity and the contributions to the growth of the University will always be mentioned whenever the history of the University of Nairobi is told. Congratulations for this golden jubilee and God bless you abundantly.”

Prof. Kiama congratulated the two doctors for being trailblazers in their fields. Dr. Gikonyo established the Karen Hospital and Dr. Njenga is a leading psychiatrist well known for the fight against drug abuse and his extensive contribution towards mental health.

“The University appreciates your role in giving scholarships to students and the visibility you give to the University of Nairobi brand”, he said.

On his part, Mr. Isaac Awuondo,  Chairman UONAA encouraged more alumni to come back and support their alma mater. “The visit today by these two great ambassadors of UON and UONAA to celebrate their Golden Jubilee is a confirmation of their love and support for this great institution that nurtured most of us,” he said. “As UONAA, we encourage our alumni to come back and visit their alma-mater and see how they can give back to the institution that opened doors for them.  As an Association we shall continue to provide forums for such engagements like Alumni re-union events, chapter based activities, webinars, professional development opportunities just to mention a few.  I also urge alumni out there to also volunteer as mentors to our students.” Mr. Awuondo observed that to date, the Association has supported 4,000 bright and needy students with scholarships and they are looking forward to supporting 1,000 more students in the next 5 years.

Dr. Betty Gikonyo, narrated how the Class of 1970s has been very active holding reunions and get together and busy mentoring younger doctors. “We are ready as Alumni to participate in the growth of the University both financially and in promoting the image of university. University of Nairobi is the place where great minds come from. The Class of 1970 had planned for a grand re-union at the University grounds but had to shelve the plans due to COVID19 pandemic.

On his part, Dr. Frank Njenga, encouraged staff and students to invest in the social capital. He said that social capital is more important than money. He encouraged the alumni of the University of Nairobi to give back to support bright and needy students. “There comes a point in life, when having an extra shilling, extra car, extra land, extra properties is useless. Accumulation of too much money is useless. By giving back, you are promoting the survival of human species,” he said.

The University of Nairobi congratulates Medicine Class of 1970 for their kind gesture.