VC Leads High-Level Executive Visit to Gaba to Drive Institutional Turnaround
By Mwape Chewe
GABA CAMPUS-ELDORET — In a vigorous push toward institutional transformation and sustainable growth, CUEA Gaba Campus on Tuesday, November 10, hosted Rev. Prof. Elias Omondi Opongo, SJ, the Vice Chancellor, alongside a delegation of top CUEA executive management team for a comprehensive staff meeting.
The visit formed part of the university's general institutional turnaround agenda, aimed at aligning all campuses with CUEA's long-term strategic vision, addressing staff welfare, and optimizing academic and operational efficiency.
Rev. Prof. Nicholaus Segeja, the Executive Director, Gaba Campus, warmly welcomed the Vice Chancellor and his entourage to the institution. In his welcoming remarks, Rev. Prof. Segeja encouraged staff members to feel completely at ease, open up, and actively engage with the executive team from the main campus on matters affecting the institute’s day-to-day operations and future trajectory.
The engagement session provided a critical platform for lecturers and administrative personnel and other institution workers to voice their queries, share institutional challenges, and deliberate on sustainable solutions regarding staff affairs, resource allocation, and working conditions at the Eldoret-based campus.
Responding directly to these concerns, the Vice Chancellor and his executive team took ample time to address questions transparently, assuring staff of management’s commitment to improving workplace environments and operational frameworks and encouraged members to work together and uplift the standards of work, reminding them that ‘in as far as we are here for the students, we are also here for ourselves’.
Rev. Prof. Opongo was accompanied by a robust executive team ready to tackle campus-specific and institutional mandates: Prof. Justus Munyoki – Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic & Student Affairs, Prof. Damian Maingi – Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Innovation, Advancement & Partnership, Ms. Doreen Njeru, CPA (K) – Executive Director, Administration and Human Resources, Ms. Esther Nyangaresi – Executive Director, Finance and Planning and other key administrative leaders and executive directors.
In his keynote address, Rev. Prof. Opongo laid out a visionary roadmap anchored on Six Strategic Pillars designed to guide CUEA through its current transformation and into a thriving future. He emphasized that every staff member has a vital role to play in upholding these pillars:
Collegiality and Unity: Fostering a collaborative, cohesive, and supportive community across all campuses.
Academic Excellence and Wealth Creation: Elevating teaching standards while cultivating sustainable financial models and institutional resource generation.
Catholic Identity and Human Flourishing: Grounding university life in core Catholic values while promoting the holistic well-being and growth of staff and students alike.
Responsibility, Leadership Accountability, and Stewardship: Promoting transparent governance, prudent resource management, and personal accountability at every level.
Research, Innovation, and Regional Impact: Boosting scholarly research and practical innovations that offer tangible solutions to regional and societal challenges.
Creative Fidelity, Leadership, and Courage for Change: Encouraging adaptive leadership, innovative problem-solving, and the courage to embrace institutional reforms.
The Vice Chancellor also highlighted the creation of a safeguarding office and policy for the University. This is critical nowadays for the protection of students, staff members and also a requirement by some donors, benefactors and other partners. CUEA has been lagging behind in implementing this. Consequently, there is need to train university members in safeguarding through workshops and other platforms.
The Vice Chancellor passionately urged staff members to remain faithful to CUEA’s foundational mission while courageously embracing reforms and modern approaches to teaching, research, and institutional management.
Significantly, Rev. Prof. Opongo issued a rallying call for aggressive institutional marketing and student recruitment. Pointing to current operational trends, he highlighted a pressing reality citing from the numbers the University graduated this year 2026, “the university is graduating more students than it is recruiting,” making active community-wide marketing and brand advocacy an urgent priority for institutional sustainability.
Following the plenary interactive session, the leadership team branched out into a closed door meeting to deep-dive into specific operational workflows, faculty needs, and academic milestones.
The visit concluded on an optimistic note, leaving Gaba Campus staff energized, aligned with the university's turnaround agenda, and equipped with a renewed sense of purpose to propel CUEA Gaba Campus to greater heights.