UoN Chancellor Calls on Graduates to Power Kenya’s Innovation

University of Nairobi Chancellor Prof. Patrick Verkooijen has urged graduates to become the driving force behind Kenya’s transformation into Africa’s hub for trade, innovation, and enterprise.

Speaking during the university’s graduation ceremony, Prof. Verkooijen emphasized that the future belongs to those who merge knowledge with enterprise and link academia with practical solutions for society.

“The future belongs to those who merge the social with the entrepreneurial. Innovation today is not only about ideas—it is about jobs, livelihoods, and dignity,” Prof. Verkooijen said, underscoring the urgent need for graduates to power Kenya’s 38 Special Economic Zones and 111 Export Processing Zones designed to generate tens of thousands of jobs and boost exports.

The Chancellor highlighted groundbreaking projects by some of the graduating class, particularly innovations in food security and transport, as proof that Kenyan students are capable of tackling the nation’s biggest challenges.

He also raised concern over the rising number of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET), calling it not only an economic gap but a “social fracture” that universities must urgently address by equipping students with market-ready skills.