First, in April 2022, the DAAD visited Moi University. The university hosts the DAAD-funded Center of Excellence CERMESA and has longstanding good cooperation with various departments, including mathematics by DAAD alumnus Dr. Fredrick Nyamwala and the German department accompanied by DAAD alumna Dr. Rachel Muchira.

Reception by the university management© DAAD

CERMESA gave the Director of the DAAD Regional Office Nairobi, Beate Schindler-Kovats, a particularly warm welcome and had prepared and organized the three-day visit in the best possible way. The agenda included meetings with the university management, a roundtable discussion with deans and directors, as well as the selection meetings for the DAAD scholarships in the In-Country/In-Region Program (ICIR).

Meeting with alumni and partners of the In-Country/In-Region program and with the CERMESA team© DAAD

Some DAAD funding programs that provide scholarships to CERMESA and Moi University are the Centers of Excellence programme, the ICIR programme, and the Garissa programme. The main focus of the meeting, however, was meeting the recipients of the DAAD-supported scholarships. Approximately 80 scholarship holders from various intakes engaged in a spirited conversation with DAAD and provided insightful input. Overall, the scholarship recipients—who attend Moi University as “in region” students and are not only from Kenya but also from other African nations—were pleased. They praised the DAAD’s crisis management during the pandemic, which required making numerous individual case decisions. They also praised the availability of online training. Also valued were the programmes’ emphasis on intercultural and global experiences and the opportunity to spend time in Germany for a summer school or a brief research stay.

Meeting with scholarship holders from the CERMESA, ICIR and Garissa programmes© DAAD

The CERMESA centre of excellence does outstanding work, was a pioneer in the “digi-face” project, and looks after the students very well and intensively. So, the mood was very positive, and there was singing and dancing at the end, a lasting memory for all.

CERMESA Team Prof. John Chang’ach, Coordinator Dr. Susan Kurgat with DAAD Director Beate Schindler-Kovats© DAAD

Embu University© DAAD

The visit to Embu University on June 2, 2022, postponed several times due to the pandemic and lockdowns, was also a success. DAAD and Humboldt alumnus Prof. Romano Mwirichia communicated and organized the meeting with the university management and the roundtable with deans, chairs, and directors very well.

© DAAD

Embu University is an essential partner of the DAAD; alumni have partnership programmes with German universities. With its committed university management, the university is interested in even stronger cooperation and exchange with Germany. The campus of Embu University offers the best conditions and potential for interaction with German students and lecturers. Especially for mutual exchange, the EU programmes ERASMUS+ are beneficial. The Embu University campus offers the best conditions and potential for exchange with German students and lecturers.

Tree planting at Embu University© DAAD

At the end of the successful day, a tree was planted on the Embu University campus as a remembrance and for sustainability purposes.