Mount Kenya University (MKU) has launched a memoir to mark its 12th anniversary in Rwanda.
The memoir Mountain Meets Land of 1,000 Hills was launched at the university’s campus in Kigali, Kagarama, on Friday Feb. 10.
The ceremony was attended by founder and board chairman Prof. Simon Gicharu, MKU Rwanda Vice-Chancellor designate Prof. Edwin Odhuno, and Rwandan Senator Prof. Kanyarukiga Ephrem.
The ceremony also coincided with the unveiling the name of a four-star hotelthe university is constructing in Kigali.
Published in late 2022 Mountain Meets Land of 1,000 Hills is acoffee-table book that traces the history of MKU’s entry into Rwanda. It details the inspiration, progress, successes and challenges.
In his speech, Prof. Gicharu said the book sets the tempo for higher education institutions and Africans in general to take the lead in telling African stories from an African perspective.
“The launch of this book is a clarion call for all of us in the African continent to rise up and tell our own stories,” he said. “We should not wait for outsiders, from Europe or America, or elsewhere to come and tell us stories about ourselves.”
“To the best of my knowledge, this book we are launching today is the only such book written by an institution of higher learning in Rwanda,” said Prof. Kanyarukiga.
