In an age where universities are increasingly measured by rankings, outputs, and employability metrics, a quieter question lingers: What does it truly mean to educate a person? At Strathmore University, the answer is neither hurried nor one-dimensional. It unfolds in lecture halls and lunch tables, in conversations that stretch beyond coursework into character, purpose, and responsibility. For Dr. John Branya, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, who has spent over two decades at the institution teaching across every level of education, the university’s story is about forming people.
In this conversation with Victor Anyura, he reflects on what makes Strathmore unique and the kind of impact its graduates are expected to have on society.
Victor Anyura: Could you please introduce yourself?
Dr. John Branya: My name is John Branya. I have always been in education. I’ve taught at primary, secondary, A-levels, university, and PhD levels. I have been at Strathmore University for about 20 years.
What I really like about the university is that it is a friendly place, one that seeks to build genuine relationships among colleagues and students. This sense of friendship is not based solely on academics, although that is why students primarily come here. It extends to all aspects of university life. Sports, health, cultural life, entertainment, and spirituality.
All these elements are integrated, not placed above academics, but woven together. And for that to happen, you need personal contact with students and with colleagues. That is why the university has many spaces where people can work together, study together, and relate. Personally, I enjoy sitting with students and colleagues, sharing meals, and engaging both academically and beyond.
Victor Anyura: From your years of experience, what makes Strathmore’s education unique?
Dr. John Branya: What makes it unique is the care for each person. The emphasis on personal attention. The university strives to treat every student as an individual, someone with their own desires, history, dreams, and aspirations.
Each person counts. This applies across all levels, even administrative and auxiliary staff. Everyone is valued, and I believe this is the institution’s key strength.
Victor Anyura: Beyond academics, what kind of person is Strathmore trying to shape?
Dr. John Branya: Good people. Simply put, good people. Good professionals, yes, but also good parents, good sons and daughters, good colleagues, good citizens.
Excellence is important, and each person can excel in their own capacity. But excellence must also be reflected in good deeds. This is not something for the future; it starts in the present. The future is built day by day, hour by hour. That is our aim.
Victor Anyura: How do you see this philosophy reflected in your students or in their work?
Dr. John Branya: I mainly teach philosophy. What students, especially those at the master’s level, often tell me is that the subject changes their lives. They begin to think differently and act differently.
That is what philosophy does. It is not like mathematics or commerce, which can sometimes feel external. Philosophy touches your heart, your mind, and ultimately your actions.
That is why philosophy, especially ethics, is taught across all undergraduate, master’s, and PhD programmes. The goal is to help people become principled human beings.
Victor Anyura: What kind of impact do you hope Strathmore graduates will have on society?
Dr. John Branya: If you want a good nation, you need good people. If you want a good family, you need good people.
Communities, counties, and countries improve when people are good. So, my hope is that our graduates, being good people, will contribute to building a good country.
Victor Anyura: How does this tie into holistic education and philanthropic investment?
Dr. John Branya: When you invest in people, you invest in meaningful achievements. Not only economic or cultural, but across all areas of life.
People are diverse, so they will contribute in different ways across many fields. Investing in people, especially in developing good people, is the essence of holistic education.
It’s not enough to produce good engineers; they must be good engineers who serve society, who contribute to the nation, and who remain committed to their communities, even when opportunities elsewhere might seem more attractive.
Investing in people who want to do good and want to help the nation is the best investment anyone can make.
Victor Anyura: Could you speak about the role of alumni in the university’s growth?
Dr. John Branya: A strong community is built by taking care of those who have helped you and the institution that shaped you.
Alumni are crucial to the development of any institution. They understand its value, they appreciate it, and they want to give continuity to its mission.
Their contribution is not only financial. It includes ideas, encouragement, participation in activities, and even donations in kind, such as books for the library or equipment for academic development.
This kind of engagement strengthens the community. Our hope is that alumni will continue to grow into a powerful force in supporting and advancing their alma mater.
And perhaps that is where the story comes full circle. A university that invests in people ultimately finds its greatest return in those very people, who carry its values into the world and, in time, bring them back home. In that quiet cycle of formation, contribution, and renewal, Strathmore’s philosophy reveals its enduring strength of building good people. For Dr. John Branya, this is the true measure of education. Because if a university can form good people, then everything else, including progress, prosperity, and purpose, follows.
Article written by Stephen Wakhu
