1. KENYATTA UNIVERSITY
Prof. Olive M. Mugenda, PhD, MBA, EBS, CBS
Vice-Chancellor
May 2015
Social Innovation at Kenyatta
University
Transforming Higher Education….Enhancing Lives

2. A social innovation is a novel solution to
socio-economic challenges and are often
effective, efficient and sustainable within
societies
Social Innovation: Definition

3. There has been a phenomenal surge of
interest in social innovation as a way to
achieve sustainable economic growth.
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4. Benefits of Social Innovation
Social outcomes:
 Inclusion, education
 Creates job
opportunities
 Creates beneficial
partnerships
 Enhances health
provision
 Ensures food security
To the workplace:
 Increases productivity,
 Enhances focus on
core functions
 Improves services
provision

5. Universities & Social Innovation
Universities need to entrench the culture
of innovation among staff, students &
community in order to encourage solution
creation
Universities can instil social innovation
before students graduate
5

6. Universities can influence the social
innovation ecosystem by mapping out the
stakeholders & creating a platform for
engagement & harness synergies
Universities can develop social innovation
labs & provision of meaningful support to
provide requisite capacity to incubate the
innovations
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7. At Kenyatta University, our social
innovation programs focus on developing
leaders who can solve the world’s most
challenging problems in diverse
disciplines e.g. engineering, business
areas such as healthcare provision, and
social justice. 7

8. Social Innovations: A Case Study
of Kenyatta University
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9. Kenyatta University in Kenya

10. 1) Business Innovation & Incubation Centre
At the
Incubation
Centre, 30% of
the spaces is
given to youth
from
communities
The
University
assists in
identifying
innovations
from
communities
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11. Services at Chandaria BIIC
Assistance with business basics
Networking activities
Marketing assistance
Help with accounting/financial management
Access to seed capital, bank loans, loan
funds and guarantee programs
Help with presentation/ pitching skills
Links to strategic partners
11

12. Access to Chandaria BIIC
Its open to all Kenyans
We admit 70% KU students and 30%
non- KU Kenyans
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http://www.ku.ac.ke/chandaria-biic/
ChandariaBusinessInnovationAndIncubationCentre
@ChandariaBIIC
54 020 +254 020 87109013871/ 0722587390/ 0700363741

13. Selected Companies @Chandaria BIIC
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Financial
solution using
a Y-Card for
secondary
school
students
The solution
ensures
security for
their monies
Cashless
systems help in
controlling
drug abuse in
schools

14. Selected Companies @Chandaria BIIC
Produces interactive
software in the form
of games to induce
knowledge in an
entertaining way
making learning fun
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15. Our Partners at the Chandaria Business
Innovation & Incubation Centre
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16. 2) Serving the community through the
funeral home
The KU
Funeral home
provides
dignified & high
quality services
to the
community
Students
volunteer as
ushers at the
Funeral Home
16

17. 3) Legal Aid Clinic
Kenyatta University established a legal aid clinic
that offers free legal assistance and advice to
members of the community
Many vulnerable individuals in the community
seek for legal advice from the Legal Aid Clinic
where students from the University’s School of
Law are attached
17

18. 4) Orphans & Vulnerable Students Fund
The University
The OVS supports orphans & vulnerable
students from various communities across
the country
We engage communities to find out those
who are poor & missed admission due to
inadequate space in universities.
Such Orphans & Vulnerable students are
supported through their University
education hence empowering them 18

19. OVS Beneficiaries in a seminar

20. 4) Students Work Induction Programme
We facilitate
student s’
service learning
through
university-
industry
partnerships
In the SWIP programme students are afforded an opportunity to
develop life skills in public and private organizations

21. 5) Use of tablets in the Digital School
The Digital school allows the marginalized populations to pursue their
education at the convenience of their work spaces and homes
The use of smart tablets enhances ICT integration in the society

22. 6) Student Training for Entrepreneurship
Promotion (STEP) initiative
This is a hands-on, skill & research oriented
initiative
In STEP, KU collaborates with Leuphana
University of Germany & Kenya National
Commissions for UNESCO
We trained KU students as Trainers of Trainers
Currently, we are training youth in the counties

23. STEP training session
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24. 7) Health Advocacy & Medical Camps in the
communities
The University’s Community Outreach &
Extension Programme organizes for health
advocacy & medical camps in both rural
urban settlements
In the camps students provide:
Voluntary HIV testing
Health education
Sessions on lifestyle diseases
management & prevention e.g. diabetes &
obesity

25. Malaria control management and treatment

26. 8) Africa Centre for Transformative & Inclusive
Leadership

27. Through the Africa Centre for Transformative &
Inclusive Leadership, the University trains
leaders on strategic and social innovation for
transformation
 Building capacities of existing & emerging
African leaders in order to promote; Good
governance, Entrepreneurship & Innovative
leadership
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28. 9) Young African Leadership Institute
(YALI)
The University is has been selected to host YALI
which is going to train the Next Generation of
Leaders in:
Civil society
Business & entrepreneurship
Corporate leadership
YALI is supported by USAID
YALI is a President Obama initiative to inculcate
leadership skills among African youth

29. Northern
By-pass
Proposed
Bridge
Phase One
(300 beds)
10) Teaching, Research & Referral
Hospital Under Construction

30. Northern
By-pass
Proposed
Bridge
Phase Two
(600 beds)

31. The hospital under construction will:
Provide specialized medical services e.g. in
oncology, renal medicine & geriatrics
Training of health personnel
Be a referral hospital
To be opened
in October 2015

32. Plans are underway to construct a 300-bed Children’s Hospital
The Children’s Hospital will be the 1st
Public Children’s Hospital in
Kenya
Children occupy about 25% of the bed spaces in public hospitals
There is a high demand for high quality pediatric health care provision
11) Children’s Hospital
To be opened at
the end of 2016

33. Through skills training
Through mentorship support
By creating support networks
By creating & sustaining a learning
environment
By Institutionalizing social innovation
By giving rewards and incentives to
encourage innovation
How to Promote Social
innovation
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34. Key Lessons
Social innovation bears the potential for
transformative rather than incremental change
Partnerships & collaborations are
indispensible in the implementation of social
innovations
Leadership is key to the development of
social innovations
Working together in social innovations
Creates efficiencies
Enhances quality 34

35. Sharing experiences & success stories
critical to future progress
Need for top leadership involvement
Institutionalizing creativity so that it becomes
a culture in the institution

36. Implementing monitoring & evaluation to
ensure that everything is on course
Conducting feasibility studies before
starting a venture
Taking feedback seriously from the
stakeholders

37. Thank You
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