American university hails alumni elected in polls

   

Laisamis MP Joseph Lekuton. Photo/File 

By JAMES KARIUKI

Posted  Tuesday, March 19  2013 at  20:23

An American university is celebrating the election of six of its former students and lecturers in the March 4 polls.Tucked 7,000 miles away in Canton, Northern New York, St. Lawrence University said on its website that it wished well two former students and now first-time MPs — Kenneth Okoth of Kibra Constituency in Nairobi and Lati Lelelit of Samburu West.Francis Chachu Ganya and former district commissioner Joseph Lekuton were also re-elected to represent North Horr and Laisamis, respectively, in northern Kenya.Kivutha Kibwana, a former lecturer at the university, was elected as governor for Makueni County as was Anyang’ Nyong’o who was elected Kisumu County senator.Mr Okoth completed his studies in 2004 majoring in German studies while Lelelit was an economics-mathematics major before graduating in 2009. Mr Ganya studied environmental studies and government while Mr Lekuton was an economics and government major.Hailing the peaceful elections, associate professor of African History Matt Carotenuto said the four were part of a long Laurentian tradition of working to make a difference in marginalised communities.“I acquired a sense of duty to make a positive difference in other people’s lives and the ability to think broadly to solve complex societal problems,” Mr Okoth said. Since 1974, St. Lawrence has run the Kenya Semester Programme through which more than 2,000 students study in East Africa in exchange for opportunities for Kenyan students to attend St. Lawrence.Kenyan Universities are yet to ride on their alumni who excel in various fields. Uganda’s Makerere University celebrated President Mwai Kibaki when it awarded him an honorary doctorate two years ago.

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