NAIROBI, Kenya — Efforts to build Wajir County’s first university received a major boost after the Wajir Peace University Trust raised KSh 115 million ($880,000) during a fundraising gala at the Nairobi Serena Hotel, kicking off a KSh 2 billion ($15 million) drive to establish the institution.
The high-profile fundraiser brought together government officials, corporate executives, diaspora members, and civic leaders. The aviation sector made the single largest contribution, pledging KSh 100 million, while diaspora supporters added KSh 1.2 million to jumpstart construction.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, who served as Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker, praised the initiative for institutionalizing Northern Kenya’s grassroots peacebuilding history.
“The Wajir story offers something distinctive—a peace university born directly from community experience, shaped by ordinary citizens, and led by women who proved peace is possible in difficult circumstances,” Wanga said.
Echoing her remarks, Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Jehow called the event a turning point for local youth who previously had to travel hundreds of kilometers to Nairobi to pursue higher education.
The proposed institution is deeply rooted in the history of Wajir County, a region in Northeastern Kenya bordering Somalia and Ethiopia. During the inter-ethnic conflicts of the 1990s, local women market vendors, elders, and youth established the Wajir Peace Group, pioneering a community-led mediation framework that gained international recognition.
Building on that legacy, the late Dekha Ibrahim Abdi, a renowned peace activist from Wajir and recipient of the 2007 Right Livelihood Award, donated her award winnings as seed capital to establish a university focused on peacebuilding, governance, and development.
Her vision led to the formation of the Wajir Peace University Trust. The proposed institution will be only the second university in Northern Kenya, aiming to convert decades of local conflict-resolution experience into an academic curriculum for scholars across the Horn of Africa.
