The Ford Foundation team when they visited the University.

This year, the Ford Foundation’s office for Eastern Africa celebrates 50 years of work and presence in the region.  The partnership between the Foundation and the University of Nairobi (UoN) dates back to 1962 when the first grant was given. To mark the celebrations, the Foundation will hold a public lecture at UoN in November to be delivered by its President Luis A. Ubinas.

During a courtesy call by the Ford Foundation team- Darren Walker, Vice President for Education, Creativity and Free Expression and Marta Tellado, Vice President, Global Communication, Prof. Jacob Kaimenyi, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, said that the University was pleased with the relationship it has with the Foundation and is looking forward to strengthening it.

The foundation has to date given a total of 81 grants to the University. The last grants were given in 2011 to the School of Journalism and the Institute for Development Studies (IDS). The $350,000 grant to IDS is to enable the University to study the history and nature of civil movements in East Africa and work with civil society to strengthen and sustain them while the $270,000 grant to the School of Journalism is for the School to conduct research on and write popular biographies of six prominent Kenyan women, provide training and mentoring on autobiography and biography writing and produce a short documentary on selected women.

Prof. Isaac Mbeche, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs, Prof. S. Mitema, Director, Centre for International Programmes and Linkages,Prof. Eunice Mutitu, Director, Board of Postgraduate Studies, and Prof. Judith Bahemuka, Department of Sociology were present during the meeting.