Category: News

By Serena Kwena,

ATHI RIVER, Kenya – Daystar University has officially commissioned a new Gate House and opened the Hope Centre Parking at its Athi River Main Campus in a move aimed at enhancing security, accessibility, and convenience for students, staff, and visitors.

The commissioning ceremony brought together members of the Daystar community, including the University Management, Senate, staff, students, and invited guests, to celebrate the completion of the new facilities.

Speaking during the event, Vice Chancellor Prof. Laban P. Ayiro said the new Gate House is more than just an entrance to the university. He noted that it symbolizes the institution’s identity, purpose, protection, and commitment to new beginnings. He added that the facility reflects Daystar University’s Christian heritage and its mission of nurturing graduates of character, wisdom, and purpose.

The new Gate House is expected to improve access control and strengthen campus security, while the Hope Centre Parking will provide additional parking space and improve convenience for members of the university community.

The infrastructure project forms part of the university’s continued efforts to modernize its facilities and create an environment that supports learning, safety, and efficient service delivery. As the university continues to grow, such developments are expected to improve the overall campus experience for students and staff.

The commissioning of the two facilities marks another milestone in Daystar University’s commitment to investing in infrastructure that supports its vision of academic excellence and holistic student development.

       Courtesy visit by the former employee and his family highlights the university’s growth in infrastructure, academic programs and student population

By Serena Kwena,

Athi River — Daystar University recently welcomed former staff member Mr. Ken Shingledecker and his family for a courtesy visit and reunion at the institution’s Main Campus, in an event that celebrated the university’s heritage, growth and enduring relationships with those who have contributed to its development.

Mr. Shingledecker served at Daystar University between 1981 and 1996. His return to the university offered an opportunity to reconnect with the institution’s history while witnessing its significant transformation over the years in terms of academic programmes, student population and infrastructure.

During the visit, Mr. Shingledecker and his family toured several key facilities at the Main Campus, including the poultry farm, water treatment plant, Agape Library, the School of Nursing and the School of Law. The tour showcased some of the university’s developments and its continued efforts to expand learning resources and improve service delivery to students.

The reunion also served as a moment of reflection on the role former staff members have played in shaping the university’s journey. By hosting the visit, Daystar underscored the importance of maintaining ties with individuals whose work and dedication contributed to the institution’s growth in its formative years.

The university described the visit as a meaningful occasion that not only honored Mr. Shingledecker’s service, but also reaffirmed Daystar’s appreciation of its heritage and the people who have been part of its story.

As the university continues to grow, the reunion highlighted the value of preserving institutional memory and celebrating relationships that have remained strong over the years.

By Chelangat Caren,

Daystar University has secured a KES 17.5 million national grant to lead one of Kenya’s most comprehensive studies on child labour to date, placing the institution at the centre of policy conversations on children’s rights and education.

The project, awarded in May 2026, will map the scale, drivers, and regional patterns of child labour across all 47 counties. It is being conducted in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime  and the International Labour Organization .

“Research for Action”

Daystar University Vice Chancellor Prof. Laban P. Ayiro is serving as the Principal Investigator. Speaking during recent university engagements, Prof. Ayiro has emphasized the link between culture, virtue, and human formation in tackling systemic social issues , a framework he says will also guide this study.

“Child labour is not just a statistic. It’s about children who should be in classrooms, not in hazardous work,” a member of the research team noted. “This grant allows us to move from assumptions to evidence that can shape county and national policy.”

Why It Matters Now

Kenya has made strides in education access, but pockets of child labour persist, especially in informal sectors, agriculture, and urban street economies. By covering all 47 counties, the Daystar-led study aims to provide county-specific data that policymakers, NGOs, and faith-based organisations can use to target interventions.

The research will also assess how factors like school fees, household income, and migration influence child labour trends ,findings that tie directly to Daystar’s focus on family, education, and community welfare.

A University-Wide Commitment

The grant adds to Daystar’s growing research profile. In June alone, the university hosted an Entrepreneurship Expo for student-led businesses, launched academic excellence awards, and strengthened international partnerships in nursing education with Taylor University.

For students, the project opens doors to field research, data analysis, and advocacy experience. Several School of Business and Social Sciences students are expected to support data collection and dissemination in the coming months.

Fieldwork is set to begin this trimester, with preliminary findings expected before the end of 2026. The final report will be shared with the Ministry of Labour, county governments, and UN partners to inform Kenya’s next phase of child protection strategies.

As Prof Ayiro put it during the KESSHA Conference: building strong schools and communities requires both virtue and evidence. With this study, Daystar is contributing both.

By Richard Onyango

Daystar University officially opened the 2026 Nairobi Regional Hub Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) today, bringing together scholars, researchers, students, and communication professionals for conversations centered on communication and inequalities in society.

The conference, running from June 4–6, is part of the 76th Annual ICA Conference taking place in Cape Town, South Africa, under the global theme, “Communication and Inequalities in Context.” The Nairobi Regional Hub is among several hubs organized worldwide to expand participation and create opportunities for scholars and students unable to attend the main conference physically.

The opening session featured virtual addresses from international communication scholars and ICA leaders who emphasized the urgent need for inclusivity, collaboration, and mentorship in addressing global inequalities through communication. Speaking during the opening session, incoming ICA President for 2026–2027, Professor Ingrid Bachmann of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, described ICA as a growing and increasingly diverse organization that still has room for broader inclusion.

“This has become a diverse organization which still needs to grow,” she said.

Professor Bachmann noted that inequalities around the world inspired this year’s conference theme and challenged communication scholars to intentionally create spaces that include more voices and perspectives.

“ICA can deal with these inequalities by being aware of these inequalities and differences and being intentional about including other people and more people,” she added.

Outgoing ICA President 2025–2026, Professor Dr. Thomas Hanitzsch of LMU Munich, commended the work being done within the African communication landscape and acknowledged the importance of regional hubs such as Nairobi in shaping global academic conversations.He also emphasized that inequality remains a major global challenge and encouraged ICA to deliberately mentor future leaders from underrepresented regions and countries.

At the local level, Dr. Robert Aswani, Dean of the School of Communication at Daystar University and Chair of the ICA Kenya Chapter, highlighted the role the conference continues to play in advancing communication scholarship in Africa. Dr. Aswani noted that while ICA has already made tremendous progress globally, there is still room to strengthen its impact through greater interdisciplinary collaboration among scholars and researchers.

He further described the conference as an important breakthrough platform that allows scholars, students, and practitioners to network, share research, and contribute toward addressing communication inequalities.

The conference continues to position Daystar University as a leading center for communication scholarship in Africa. Over the years, the university has hosted several editions of the ICA Regional Hub, attracting participants from universities across Kenya and international presenters from around the world.

This year’s conference features live sessions, research presentations, panel discussions, and breakout engagements focusing on media, digital communication, artificial intelligence, journalism, public relations, and emerging communication technologies.

For students pursuing communication and media-related courses, the conference offers an opportunity to engage directly with scholars and professionals shaping conversations around communication in Africa and beyond.

As discussions continue throughout the three-day event, participants are expected to explore how communication research, innovation, and collaboration can help address both global and local inequalities in an increasingly digital world.

The conversation continues tomorrow with more panel discussions, research presentations, and collaborative engagements expected to further examine the role of communication in addressing inequalities across different contexts.