Northern Kenya University Initiative, dabbed, the NORKU initiative is a strategic initiative designed for the planning, construction and final implementation of a University in Northern Kenya. The initiative is purely voluntary and extends an invitation to all stake holders, volunteers, donors, governments and people of goodwill to Unite for the success of a pioneering initiative that is in the end a vanguard of higher learning in Northern Kenya. While NORKU initiative is sponsored by Generation for Change and Growth (http://www.thegcg.org/), the collective mental, physical, professional and monetary contributions of various committees, foundations, institutions, communities and individual volunteers keeps the initiative on track until the mission is accomplished.

North Eastern Kenya, formerly known as Northern Frontier Districts (NFD) is Kenya's third largest region. Add Turkana, Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale Districts - It is 50% of Kenya's land mass, all together referred to as Northern Kenya. This is a place cocooned by political and intellectual servitude whose pervasive nature balled up an imaginary land filled with camel and wild people. This land is talked about in pejorative terms; economic burden, unsafe, illiteracy, hardship place and one devoid of water - in essence the hell on earth. The flip side is diametrically opposite; land of spirited people, miracles, latent riches, cultured people, high livestock concentration, untapped resources of nature and people.

The region is the least developed part of Kenya. For decades, the media and local leaders raised concerns about the dire situation in the region. It is, however, deeply disturbing that the region remains the least in the government's development agenda. By development, we refer to structural, human and other economic and productivity ordinaries.

Although Kenya as a country has realized significant growth in education, health care and commerce since independence, growth in Northern region can only be argued in the realms of human population. In fact, in many areas, there is retrograde development which means it’s worse today than it was pre-independence.

For instance, the Education sector has had a long and bumpy history with little to no valuable gains. By universal consensus, Education is an investment with guaranteed result. The prove is within Kenya itself. In Kenya, almost all high and middle income earners are from regions of high education index. Overall, the Contribution of Northern Kenya to the country's Productive workforce is almost negligent due to lack of ability to compete in Education. Literacy rate is estimated at 8.5% - compare that to Central province which has literacy rate well above 90%.

Education, therefore, creates the human capital needed to spur growth and development in a society. Without education, the realization of Human capital which is the recipe for social, political and economic growth is remotely possible.

By United Nations definition, education is the most important ingredient of wellbeing and is used in the measure of economic development and quality of life, which is a key factor determining whether a country is a developed, developing or undeveloped country.

Although there are numerous primary and secondary schools, Northern Kenya has nothing of semblance to tertiary educational institution. Even within primary and secondary schools, private or public, performance of students in Northern Kenya has consistently been dismal at its best. Theories attempting to explain the poor academic performance are weather related hardships, lifestyle of the community (pastoral communities), lack of resources and the list is long depending on who you talk to. At the very elemental level, the answer is poor educational resources.

Evidently, many students whose performance was dismal at secondary school when accepted to college or university, show stellar performance in some cases surpassing their peers. This is a fact collectively agreed and cited over and over. For those who are not fortunate to secure a place in College or university in other parts of the country, who consist of over 90% of all secondary school graduates, their plight is never addressed. They join the masses dejected and the path to their career dreams permanently sealed. It is then reasonable that Human capital defined along the lines of education is remotely evident in this part of Kenya - a clear indication of the staggering development gap.

The government may have plans and made promises, short or long-term, to establish a college or University in order to give these children the opportunities they rightly deserve in education. These are empty plans and promises and remained so since independence invariably preparing young peoples lives in perpetual poverty, which cycles from generation to generation. This reason specifically is responsible for the economic and growth disparities in Kenya today and the mediocre the Northern region is. A glaring example is in the lives of the few who obtained college/university education and the majority who did not both of which come from the same region, may be even the same family.

The people and the region of Northern Kenya can only develop and compete in this ever challenging world through the establishment of its own institution of higher learning - A University.

The NORKU initiative was founded and launched only on one premise; Address, through strategic means, the problem of lack of tertiary educational opportunities in Northern Kenya and in the end establish a fully fledged Northern Kenya University at the heart of the region.

At this time, feasibility studies point at Wajir Town as the likely host of the first University, NORKU, in the region. Land allocation is already in progress. The Acquisition of about 50 acre land is currently on the table for discussion between the County council of Wajir and NORKU planning committee.

Key to the success of this project/Initiative is funding. The initiative is asking varied sources for sponsorship and support including but not limited to local and/or international Donors, Community support, philanthropic support, Universities and Colleges and Governments.

Through this Initiative, we hope, everyone in the region will have a chance to pursue higher education and the opportunity to succeed -That will in the long-term change the community and the region for the better. The initiative will pay a special attention to gender issues and disparities through out the process of this project.

At this stage of planning, NORKU is seeking professionals and academics to join the various Committees and Advisory Board.

The first cycle of strategic actions is designed for the development of academic and residential facilities and concurrent design and development of curriculum across all disciplines and degree programs. These programs will be reflecting our long term commitment; equipping students for extraordinary lives and building skilled based society. We anticipate the first phase to take up to 5 years. Strategic initiatives for the first phase are described below:

Year 1-2: Acquisition of Land, Concept and architectural Planning, Fundraising, Committee establishments, Certifications and Licensing requirement

Years 1- 3: Systemic development of Academic facilities (Lecture rooms/theaters, offices etc.) and Residential buildings (hostels).

1. Design and development of the new curriculum across all disciplines and degree programs – Diplomas, Bachelor, Certificates etc.

2. Upgrades and finishes of on going facilities development.

3. Establishment and recruitment of teaching and support staff.

1. Establish Admissions department, Academic Deans, enrollment and marketing staff, and ad hoc outside professionals.

2. Reorganize the University into three main educational operating units,
the Undergraduate College-the Graduate College-and the Advanced Placement Academy

3. Establish the Graduate Program Council. The council of scholars identifies, proposes and develops graduate programs meeting demands for graduate level education in specific disciplines and societal needs in the coming years.

4. Appointment of council of Scholars. The NORKU Council of Scholars will ultimately comprise up to 6 scholars with endowed chairs (rotating or reappointed on a five-year term).

These and regionally acclaimed educational and intellectual leaders will hold the most prestigious and active positions in the University's faculty. The endowed chairs will not be permanently appointed in order to enable all faculty members the opportunity to aspire to and achieve appointment to a chair if an individual’s leadership and scholarship reach the appropriate level. Each Scholar will be responsible for the design and development of a collaborative research and learning program within a selected department of Learning in which she/he is a recognized leader. An endowed fund will support all such program, including start-up fund for a program, research and professional development support for its leading NORKU Scholar and collaborative faculty scholars, and, in the long-term NORKU Student Scholars who will also be supported by endowed scholarships.

The Departments listed below are included to illustrate the types of programs that could exist as part of the short and long-term planning and are not meant to exclude other studies that could result from faculty-student-donor discussions and interest.

As we continue into years 6 through 15, numerous other strategies will be implemented and designed to achieve our long-term goal in 2025: NORKU University will be a nationally recognized, regional leader in higher education. The specific strategies for the implementation of our long-term plan will be included in the document, "NORKU 2025: Strategic Action Plan."