On 6th April 2022, the first cohort of 20 interns from the Faculty of Agriculture were flagged off by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Prof. Kiama Gitahi and the CEO of Elgon Kenya Ltd Dr. Bimal Kantaria.

Also present during the ceremony were the Permanent Secretary, Finance Mr. Julius Muia, Senior advisor at the Office of the President, Mrs Ruth Kagia, the CEO, British Chamber, Ms Farida Abbas among others.

The graduate internship has been mounted in pursuit of one of the objectives of the Agricultural Technology and Innovation Centre (ATIC) that aims at bridging the gap between academia and the industry. The 20 interns who were competitively recruited hail from 13 different counties in Kenya including Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Trans-Nzoia, Nandi, Homa Bay, Siaya, Vihiga, Kericho, Nakuru, Kiambu, Nairobi, Murang’a, and Nyeri. The interns were presented to the VC, the CEO Elgon-Kenya and the invited guests by Prof. John Kimenju, the chairman of the ATIC committee. In his remarks, Prof. Kimenju indicated that the program seeks to empower the interns with knowledge, skills and competences required make them street-smart graduates. This will be achieved through hands-on experiences from a real work setting, mentorship and coaching by experts from the industry and academia.

The Vice Chancellor wished the interns a fruitful stay at Elgon-Kenya as they fly the University of Nairobi flag high in the ‘real world’ where they translate the knowledge and theory learnt in class into practice.