Kenya: Kabarak University to sign arts MoU with Nakuru County

According to the MoU, the university’s School of Music and Performing Arts and the Nakuru Players Theatre (NPT) will work closely to facilitate knowledge sharing, which will "contribute to the conservation and promotion of culture through music and the performing arts".

“Our cultures are slowly fading and this calls for all stakeholders to join hands. We are committed to continue offering support to music and other genres of arts,” Kabarak University deputy vice-chancellor John Ocholla said.

KU's School of Music and Performing Arts dean, Prof Mellitus Nyongesa Wanyama, told Music In Africa that the partnership would help bridge the gap between academia and the professional world.

“Students pursuing performing arts will continuously interact with real-job market issues in their area of specialisation," he said. "Likewise, the faculty will get a chance to refocus the curriculum towards one that is skills-based and market-oriented.

“Furthermore, the youth at Nakuru Players Theatre will have opportunities of furthering their knowledge, training and skills at the Kabarak University School of Music and Performing Arts.”

Wanyama says the lack of an appropriate music curriculum has affected the development and growth of music education in Kenya. He says there is a need for major reforms in the education sector so that music can be taught more effectively.

“The most needed reforms in music education in Kenya is to encourage the learning and teaching of music as an examinable subject in primary schools. Music making that is rooted in the Kenyan folk music cultural fabric should be emphasised. This approach will go a long way in crystallising Kenyan music identity,” Wanyama said.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Presidential Music Commission (PPMC) has also partnered with the local government on a project that seeks to set up a talent centre in the county.

“We only need the county government to give us space and we will set up a unique talent centre,” the commission’s director, Donald Otoyo, said.

The development comes amid complaints from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) about a high number of students registering for arts-related courses. HELB CEO Charles Ringera says 70% of university students in Kenya are pursuing the arts, while 30% are looking to enrol in science- and business-related courses.