CUEA Vice Chancellor Awarded at African Prestige 100 Honoris Awards & ELIAD Global Leadership Conference 2026

The Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) Vice Chancellor, Very Rev. Prof. Stephen Mbugua Ngari , received the 100 Transformative African Leaders Award on Value-Based, Innovative and Collaborative Education at the African Prestige 100 Honoris Awards & ELIAD Global Leadership Conference 2026. The event took place on Saturday, 25th April 2026 at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi.

Other award recipients at the Leadership Conference were several Principal Secretaries and Corporate Executives from across Africa, recognised for outstanding leadership and transformative impact in their fields.

Acceptance Speech

Very Rev. Prof. Stephen Mbugua Ngari's acceptance speech for the award of "The Vice-Chancellor for Values-Driven Academic Leadership" Award at the African Prestige 100 Honoris Awards & ELIAD Global Leadership Conference 2026 — Safari Park Hotel, 25th April 2026.

Distinguished guests, esteemed colleagues, and fellow leaders in Christ, I greet you with the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is with profound humility and gratitude that I stand before you, deeply honored to receive the Values-Driven Academic Leadership Award at this prestigious gathering, the ELIAD/Aspire Global Leadership & Innovation Summit. This recognition is not mine alone; it belongs to the community of scholars, students, and leaders who believe that education is not just about knowledge, but about values that transform society.

This summit's theme — "From Vision to Victory: Leadership That Delivers Sustainable Impact in Africa" — calls us to embrace innovation and responsibility. Leadership is not about titles or positions; it is about service. As Robert K. Greenleaf, the father of servant leadership, said: "The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first." I call upon my fellow African leaders to be servant leaders — be deliberate in building institutions that endure, nurturing talent that thrives, and ensuring that our innovations uplift communities rather than leave them behind.

We all agree that innovation is vital for Africa's future, yet it must be anchored in faith and moral responsibility. Technology and research are gifts meant to serve humanity and glorify God. Alan Kay said: "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." But invention without values is dangerous. Our duty as Catholic educators is to form leaders who are both innovators and disciples — ethical leaders who see knowledge as service and deliver sustainable impact in Africa and the world. This is what Africa needs.

At CUEA, our Core Values — Academic Excellence, Moral Integrity, Service to Society, and Innovation & Research — are Gospel-inspired commitments that guide our mission today. We pursue excellence in teaching and scholarship, echoing Nelson Mandela's belief that "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Today, we reaffirm that this weapon must be guided by values, integrity, and servant leadership. We form leaders of integrity, mindful of Pope Francis' reminder that "True power is service." We embrace service, preparing graduates who uplift both Church and society, and we champion innovation, guided by St. John Paul II's wisdom that "Science can purify religion from error and superstition; religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes." These values are not abstract ideals; they are the compass by which we navigate the challenges of academic leadership in Africa and beyond.

This award is a reminder that leadership is a calling to serve, not to be served. I accept it with humility, and with renewed commitment to lead with courage, serve with humility, and innovate with integrity. I am honored to be part of Africa's present, to light Africa's future, shaped by leaders who embody the Gospel and deliver sustainable impact for generations to come.

Thank you, and God bless you all.

Very Rev. Prof. Stephen Mbugua Ngari