Mount Kenya University Rwanda (MKUR) has feted its top-performing employees, and plans various initiatives to boost staff morale amid the Covid-19 crisis. The Vice-Chancellor designate, Prof Edwin Odhuno, announced this during a staff retreat at King Fish Hotel Muhazi in Rwesero Village, early this month.

Providence Mukundwa, who works in administration, and Zachary Thiga, of the academics’ department, emerged as the best employees. The winners were selected based on the time they report to work, general discipline and dress code, among other factors. The two are long-serving MKUR employees with over 10 years’ experience.

The one-day retreat was organised by the MKUR Staff Welfare Committee led by its chairperson, Uwimana Lucie.

While awarding the best employees, Prof Odhuno said that the exercise is designed to motivate university employees to remain productive. "This will help us to shift our thinking from challenges to positive thinking as we execute bigger projects. This is the time to learn to live with the pandemic and move forward,” he asserted.

Prof Odhuno pointed out that the Covid-19 pandemic hit the education sector hard and many institutions were yet to recover from its effects. Institutions of higher learning across the world were forced to cancel classes and close campuses for several months.

He, however, explained that the campus had weathered the Covid storm, mostly thanks to the support of the MKU Board of Directors chaired by Prof Simon Gicharu, who is also the university’s founder.

The VC designate recalled a conversation he had with Prof Gicharu at the height of the Covid-19 crisis last year when some higher education institutions were laying off employees. During the lockdowns to control the spread of the virus, MKUR, like other educational institutions, experienced financial difficulties.

Confronted with this crisis, Prof Odhuno consulted the university’s Chairman. During the retreat, he recounted to staff how he called Prof Gicharu and asked him on the way forward.

The MKU Chairman paused for about five minutes and then replied: "Institutional survival is tested and measured during a crisis. I tell you, no MKUR staff will lose his or her job even if it means we have to dig deep into our pockets. We must show we are different and committed to our mission and vision of empowering generations through education even in difficult times.”

Indeed, as Prof Gicharu had vowed, the university continued to offer services to its students, and to pay salaries to all its employees during that difficult period.

Prof Odhuno continued: "MKUR successfully switched to the online mode of teaching because the university had the resources and the experience to help students study while at home,” he said.

The VC said the university will award best-performing staff annually. He thanked all staff for being committed to their work even during difficult times.

Prof Odhuno said MKUR will commit more funds to enable faculty undertake research and publish their findings.

"We want MKUR to have own journals and other outlets for publications and publish work from several distinct fields or subfields. This will propel the university to new heights as we continue to invest and strengthen our centres of excellence in Health Sciences, IT, Hospitality and Tourism, Journalism and Business Studies,” said Prof. Odhuno.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) in charge of operations, Dr John Nyiligira, said the University canteen will be handed over to the staff welfare committee to run as a source of revenue.

"The University will always support staff to ensure we are one family committed to achieving common goals. The canteen will help solve some of our day-to-day problems,” said Dr Nyiligira.

MKUR staff already enjoy services such as health insurance, free Wi-Fi and email addresses using the institutional domain name, annual retreat, orientation for teaching and non- teaching staff, celebration of festivals and national days. Uwimana said the University welfare committee plans to form a savings and credit cooperative society (Sacco) for members to access loans for personal development. She also thanked Prof Gicharu for his support towards staff welfare, especially during the pandemic.

The event consisted of a series of interactive activities that included team building, games such as football, and swimming, balloon busting among others.