Deputy Vice Chancellor (A & F), Prof. Ronald Chepkilot
Deputy Vice Chancellor (A & R), Prof. John Ochola
Provost, Rev. Prof. Jacob Kibor
Registrar (A & HR), Prof. Simon Kipchumba
Registrar (A & R), Dr. Antony Somba
University Librarian, Mrs. Patricia Chebet,
Finance Manager, Mr. Gideon Langat,
Dean of Students, Dr. Dorcas Githaiga,

Deans,
Directors,
Heads of Departments and Sections,
Members of staff,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning to you all, and praise the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the 2023 Annual Staff Seminar, Our theme for this year is, “Empowering Employees for Success”

The Annual Staff Seminar has become a cherished tradition and event in our calendar year We are gathered here today for the purpose of enhancing our knowledge and skills to achieve excellence in our service to our clients and stakeholders

This seminar also presents a valuable opportunity for our University community to come together as a united family and share updates on the latest developments within our institution.

It provides a platform to celebrate our collective successes, address the challenges we face and focus on our future goals

It is important to note that all of us have a role in taking this University forward and therefore we should work together as a unified body

As Romans 12:4-5 illustrates, just as a human body consists of many different parts that serve diverse purposes, we too, as members of the institution, must come together as one unified body, each belonging to and supporting one another.

Let us also foster a sense of unity and collaboration, creating a supportive environment where we can all thrive and contribute to the continued success of our institution

As the Psalmist writes in Psalm 133 1 “How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!”

Seminar

Topics:

This year's seminar objectives are timely and comprehensive The seminar will focus on the following five key areas

1. Sensitizing staff on employee accountability and process ownership
2. Exploring employee performance at the workplace
3. Addressing employee mental well-being at the workplace
4. Focusing on workplace etiquette and relationship between supervisors and operative staff
5. Highlighting financial wellness
6. Planning for retirement

This seminar has been carefully crafted to provide you with a rich and diverse learning experience

We have assembled a team of expert trainers who will make presentations on the aforementioned topics

The University places a lot of importance on training and for this reason it has set aside funds for in house training such as this seminar and off the job staff training.

I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to not only learn, but also to engage with your colleagues and build stronger relationships across our organization.

By sharing our experiences and perspectives, we can all grow and benefit from each other's insights,

I appeal to all staff members to continue working with commitment and dedication and to realize goals and objectives

It is only through our collective effort that we can achieve our vision of a center of academic excellence founded on Biblical Christian Values As it says in Colossians 3 23 24 ,,“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward It is the Lord Christ you are serving

Let us therefore work together effectively as a team, and strive to make this university the best institution of higher learning, not just in the region, but beyond

Team Building

• I am pleased to note that the entire day of tomorrow is set aside for teambuilding activities
• I urge all members to turn up and participate in the various team building exercises that have been planned
• This will be a great opportunity for us to have fun, build our teamwork and enhance our collaboration skills.

Staff Commendation, Recognition and Award

The University has reviewed its Staff Commendation, Recognition and Award Policy

The new policy provides an improved strategy for awarding exemplary performance, and we are excited to announce that the tool used for nominations this year is more inclusive, giving all employees an opportunity to be recognized and awarded at their respective Schools/Departments

I would like to thank the Staff Commendation, Recognition and Award Committee, Chaired by Rev Prof Jacob Kibor University Provost, for their good work in ensuring that our staff are recognized for their hard work and dedication to the University

The objectives of this policy are:

• To establish a performance based culture within the University's operations
• To strengthen, stimulate and award staff on exemplary living and display of the University’s core values
• To inspire satisfactory customer care experience, behavior and enthusiasm to serve among the University staff members
• To encourage employees to go above and beyond their duties and promote additional effort
• To build effective leadership skills and promote high staff retention
• To improve performances and value addition, thus enhancing innovative ideas in the University.

One of the primary objectives of this policy is to recognize employees with exemplary performance

Therefore I am pleased to announce that the University will be presenting awards in several categories during the closing ceremony of our Team Building exercise on Wednesday, 26 th April 2023

The ceremony will be presided over by our Chairman of Council Dr John Kibosia

1. The categories of awards are as follows:
2. Employee of the Year Award
3. Excellence in Leadership Award
4. Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award
5. Excellence in Research and Innovation Award
6. Customer Care Award
7. Outstanding Innovation in Service Delivery Award
8. Outstanding Christian and Community Service Award
9. Extra Mile Award.

The recognition awards are meant to not only recognize the exceptional performance but also to foster a culture of motivation and high performance within the University

By acknowledging and rewarding outstanding contributions, we aim to inspire and encourage all staff members to strive for excellence in their respective roles.

Achievements

The University has also made an application to be ranked on Times Higher Education ( World University Rankings

I would like to also highlight some of the major milestones we have achieved in the recent past. These include:

Recognition

The University ranked 5 th Countrywide out of over 50 Private institutions of higher learning in the latest Webometrics ranking (Jan, 2023 edition).

The University has also made an application to be ranked on Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.

Establishment of UNESCO Chair on Culture and Arts in Education at Kabarak University. This achievement makes Kabarak University the 3^rd private university in Kenya to receive this distinction and one of the ten 10 UNESCO Chairs in the country.

The University was accepted as a permanent member of the Global University Network for Innovation GUNi with the designation taking effect on 6^th October, 2022.

The School of Law won 1^st place in the written submission stage and 2^nd place in the oral stage of the 21^st Edition of the Moot Court competitions' Africa regional rounds The team has qualified for the Global rounds to be held in July 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland.

ICT

Upgrade of the ERP system from Dynamic NAV 2018 to Business Central (BC 200 365

• Installation of self service biometric system at the cafeteria
• Installation of identity biometric system at gate
• Enhancement of Wi Fi coverage at the Ladies Hostels

Infrastructure

• Refurbishment of the University Boardroom.
• Law School Twin Tower (finishing work is ongoing).
• Installation of an incinerator with waste capacity of 50kgs/hour
• Establishment of the new Convocation Hall
• The completion of the Nakuru Town
• Campus Library Complex in June 2022.

Research and Innovation

The development of a process for producing ' from grass by the Center for Innovation and Business Incubation This is a remarkable achievement that presents a sustainable solution to food security, and positions the University at the forefront of sustainable innovation, demonstrating our commitment to impactful research and development

Hult Prize Challenge Kabarak University ‘Team Glatex qualified after meeting the required standards to represent the University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the month of June, 2023 to compete for 1 million USD The innovation is making kitchen, bathroom and swimming pools tiles from recycled glass and textile waste, to address textile pollution,

Academic

• KABUO offers twenty-two 22 fully online academic programmes from Diploma to Doctorate level
• Approval of three 3 new academic programmes by CUE
• Doctor of Philosophy in Education
• Master of Education (Management and Leadership)
• Master of Education (Guidance and Counselling)

Governance

• Development of new policies as follows:
• Student Initiated Activities Policy (New)
• Catering Policy (New)
• Accommodation Policy (New)
• Job Descriptions for Catering and Accommodation (New)
• Revised Quality Assurance Policy
• Revised Examination Policy
• Revised External Examiners Policy
• Revised Records Management Policy
• Revised Alcohol and Substance Abuse Policy
• Revised Curriculum Development and Review Policy
• Revised Staff Workload Policy
• Revised HIV/AIDS Policy
• Revised Persons with Disability Policy
• Revised Student Mentorship Policy
• Revised Policy on the Establishment of New University Campuses
• Revised Staff Commendation, Recognition and Award Policy
• Revised Finance Policy and Procedures Manual
• Revised Fee Payment Policy

The University has also commenced work on the following projects at the Main Campus

• A new Tuition Complex (design stage)
• Installation of lifts at the main administration building and the Library 80 complete)
• Renovation of Central Ladies Hostel 50 complete)

I would like to take this opportunity to remind our staff on the key foundation of this University, and that is its Biblical Christian Foundation.

Our commitment to Biblical Christian values and Principles cannot be compromised because we will lose our identity.

The Wednesday Chapel service is a key activity and is also compulsory for both staff and students. In the January April Semester it was noted that there was very low attendance of the service by both the Staff and Students.

It was further observed that the low attendance of students was attributed to Lecturers releasing students early before the service on Wednesdays.

All Lecturers must cooperate in ensuring that the students attend classes as required and also attend the Chapel Service.

The members of staff are also required to attend the services without failure.

We expect therefore that we will see a significant change in terms of service attendance in the coming May August 2023 semester.

We are all aware that there could be change in terms of Government policy as far as placement of Government Sponsored students in private university is concern If there will be change, it will affect our enrolments and financial performance of the University

We must therefore prepare ourselves to put in place measures that will ensure that the University will continue running in a sustainable manner Towards this end, the schools have been directed to come up with ways of generating more revenue for the University

I wish to encourage other departments to also think of ways of generating additional income for the University.

The staff members are also required to ensure that we prudently utilize our resources and ensure that there are no wastage

In addition, we should also market our University as a preferred University in this region We should not leave marketing to the Corporate Communication and Marketing department, but should also be our individual and collectively responsibility

I would like to echo the words of the renowned scholar, Malcolm Gladwell , who stated that, “Word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing.”

I would like to thank the following organizations that have supported this event. The organizations include:

1. Liaison Group (I.B) Ltd.
2. ICEA Lion Group
3. Boresha SACCO Society Ltd.
4. Skyline Sacco Society Limited
5. ABSA Bank
6. Access Bank PLC

In Conclusion, I wish all of us a successful and fruitful seminar I leave you with a timeless piece of wisdom from the Apostle Paul found in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

It is my humble duty to now declare the 2023 Annual Staff Seminar officially opened