“I am sure very few people know I am fluent in four foreign languages English, Swedish, German and Russian. Actually my personal re...
“I am sure very few people know I am fluent in four foreign languages English, Swedish, German and Russian. Actually my personal records are in Russian, I also know how to construct buildings and I personally supervise the constructions around, especially the gates” Prof. NjokaMost great names in the world have a history, but it is rarely told since it is covered in the present greatness. Such is the case with Chuka University vice-chancellor (VC) Prof Erastus Njoka a man in the limelight yet little is known about him. (CHUKAUNI.COM) crew, however caught up with him and tried to turn the other side of the coin.
The soft-spoken professor, though surrounded by an aura of power and a tight schedule was kind enough to give us some minutes and sitting in his office the atmosphere was more of a father speaking to his sons.
CHUKAUNI.COM: People know you as the vice-chancellor and professor, but not much is known about your background could you possibly recount your academic journey.
VC: well each of us came from a place, I attended a school called Makawani primary school where my father was a head teacher. I then joined Siakago secondary school and later joined Nkubu high school for my form 5 and 6, where I met Prof Mugendi Njiru current principal Embu University and Emilio Kathuri former MP Manyata and many other great names. After finishing secondary school at around 1981 there were a lot of riots around them and with the 1982 the coup attempt in Kenya and so I realized I did not want to study here. However the government through the ministry of education was giving scholarships and I applied and was a granted one in Moscow at Friendship University in 1984 where I enrolled for a degree in animal science. I studied and by 1990 I had my masters from the same university. I enrolled for my PhD in the same university up to 1993. Since then I have stayed in Kenya.
CHUKAUNI.COM: Was Russia coincidental or was it your country of choice?
VC: No it wasn’t coincidental at all Russia had been my dream country as early as early as class 2. It was inspired by a book a certain man had read for me about the first man to fly to moon called Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin a man from Russia who flew to the moon using a rocket named Vostok spacecraft. It enthralled me so much that I wanted to go study there and understand how their men could be so intelligent.
CHUKAUNI.COM: So what inspired you to study animal science and become a lecturer?
VC: I usually say teaching is somehow in my genes remember I told you I am a son of a teacher, however, I have to tell you I did not like reading at all while in my primary school and my father being a teacher was always angry with me. My time and effort then was spent in rearing some chicken I had kept, my grandfather saw how passionate I was and gave me a goat which now completely absorbed my mind. At around 1973 while in class six, my brother, then at Ikuu boys realized I was almost dropping out of school. Actually, I remember his words because they were an inspiration he told me this goat has absorbed your time yet after a year it will only give you one kid, but if you study hard and become a P1 teacher like our father you will be getting a salary of 1100 per month that was equivalent to 22 goats since a goat was ksh50 then. That threw me into studies with the dream to become a teacher and buy as many goats as possible. I guess that combination is what transformed to be a lecturer in animal science.
CHUKAUNI.COM: Now after coming back from Moscow how did you maneuver your way to becoming the vice-chancellor of Chuka university?
VC: Rome was not built-in a day and it has taken hard work and persistence. My biggest challenge when I came back to Kenya was landing my first job, you see with a PhD at time when they were very few I expected to be easily absorbed in the job market. But that was not the case; it took me almost a year before landing a job. Most people then saw the Ph.D. as a threat to their position while others still felt I was not from the right place especially, since some institution were doing what we call in-breeding, that is employing graduates from same institution. The country had very few institutions offering animal science. However I got my first job as lecturer in Egerton University and actually started with very many responsibilities bestowed upon me. I however gave my best and after three years I became a senior lecturer and then after three more years in the year 2001 the faculty held elections and though there was some opposition with claims that I was too young to be a dean, I won the elections with a land slide. After two more years of total hard work I was re-elected without opposition. At 2005 Egerton University started a campus, the Egerton University Eastern Campus at the then Ndagani polytechnic and I was appointed to be director of the campus by Professor Martin the vice-chancellor Egerton University then. In 2007 the campus was elevated to a university college by the former President Mwai Kibaki.
In 2008 I did my interviews and become a full professor. In the same year the first council was appointed and 30 of us applied to be the principal. We did the interviews which I passed and became the principal. We had a challenge then since we were only funded by the CDF. And many people were really against the campus to a point where the friction saw Professor Martin lose his job as the vice-chancellor. Sometimes I wonder how comes I did not lose my job because to tell you the truth it was tough. In 2013 the university was elevated to a full university and I became the first vice-chancellor.
CHUKAUNI.COM: Professor what is your vision of the University in ten years time.
VC: This University is prophetic and you can tell by the rate we are growing. We started with only 23 students in 2005 and yet today we are more than 12,000 we had no buildings yet you can now see the skyscrapers, we have laboratory machines that have used millions and many more things that make us an institution you can envy. That should tell you that in 10 more years the population should almost triple. We are also planning to establish a science and technology park that will be the greatest in Africa. Scientists from all over the world will be coming here for research. The park will require 7 billion, 3 for the construction and 4 billion for the equipments and we are in the first face of collection. Although we are among underfunded universities we direct our money to development without wastage. We are also planning to extend our university and start engineering and medicine courses. Otherwise since we are led by Christian virtues and integrity I am sure God will take us even further. I have no doubt the hill Jerusha Kanyua saw with birds perching from all over and flying filled with joy is here and is growing bigger.
CHUKAUNI.COM: How do you use our free time professor?
VC: well most times am working elsewhere because you see am a leader in so many capacities and most times its bestowed on you and you have to serve, for example, I am the Chairman Meru professional association, the patron of Njuri -Ncheke in Tharaka-Nithi county, the patron Chuka Igamba Ngombe development association, a church elder, and a member of national organizing committee of Presbyterian church and of course a husband and father.
 |
| Chuka University Student center: |
VC: well I can only say God grants me the energy and dedication.
CHUKAUNI.COM: Do you have hobbies?
VC: yes of course, I love reading you will always find a book near me, I also love walking around and looking at constructions, I also spend some time planting trees and keeping some animals.
CHUKAUNI.COM: What side of your life do you think very few people know?
VC: I could say most of it… but am sure very few people know I am fluent in four foreign languages English, Swedish, German and Russian. Actually my personal records are in Russian, I also know how to construct buildings and I personally supervise the constructions around, especially the gates.
CHUKAUNI.COM: Your parting short in Russian?