The pioneer graduates of the Kenya-based Consolata International University (CIU) have been challenged to become agents of transformation rooted in truth, love, and service in a world “marked by hatred and selfishness.”
By Nicholas Waigwa *
In his homily during Holy Mass on Friday, May 8, at the first graduation ceremony of the Nairobi-based private Catholic institution of higher learning, Bishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe urged the graduates to allow their education to inspire selfless service and fidelity to God’s truth.
“Growing in the true commandment of love means moving beyond self-interest, career, and profession to become an agent of transformation in a world often marked by hatred and selfishness,” Bishop Obanyi said during the event held at the university grounds in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi.
Addressing the first graduates of the institution that is sponsored by members of the Institute of the Consolata Missionaries (IMC), the Bishop of Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Kakamega said, “You are not only qualified to pursue personal success but also to go out and help transform the world, not to make it worse than it already is.”
He cautioned against what he described as growing attempts to distort truth and undermine human dignity.
“We increasingly hear of attempts to redefine reality; the very nature and dignity of the human person become distorted. As graduates today, you are called to remain faithful to the truth, the one truth, and to help lead the world back to it,” Bishop Obanyi said.
He also warned intellectuals against advancing ideas contrary to God’s intention for humanity.
“Academicians and intellectuals must constantly avoid the danger of proposing opinions that they destroy the intention of God,” he said.
For Kenyan Catholic Bishop who was recently appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret, “If our education, our attainment of the highest forms of knowledge, leads us away from God to an extent where we invent other forms of truth, proposing dangerous opinions that destroy the intention of God, then we are not educated.”
He encouraged the graduates to remain humble and attentive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit as they begin their professional and personal journeys.
“You have already gotten a drop of what God wants you to do. Humility demands that you continue to love and to follow God’s will,” Bishop Obanyi said.
He continued, “At the center of all these dear friends is the Holy Spirit. Let us listen to the Holy Spirit whom we all await to inspire us, to give us knowledge and understanding to go out there and transform the world.” He described the first graduation ceremony as a moment of thanksgiving for the growth of the university, saying the institution nurtures faith while imparting knowledge “according to the heart of Jesus Christ.”
“On behalf of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), I stand here to say congratulations and thanks to God for this gift,” Bishop Obanyi said, and added, “As we celebrate this occasion of the first graduation, we do it in the context of God’s love, which has been poured unto us.”
The Kenya-based University received a Letter of Interim Authority in August 2025, transitioning from the former Consolata Institute of Philosophy (CIP) to officially become Kenya’s 82nd accredited Institution of higher learning.
Rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition, CIU has the mission “to provide a transformative educational experience that prepares leaders who are academically proficient, compassionate, ethical and socially responsible, nurturing intellectual curiosity, spiritual growth and a passion for service to others.”
The Nairobi-based university has, as its vision, “to be a university distinguished for academic excellence in the pursuit and application of wisdom, fostering critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, lifelong learning and a spirit of service in society according to the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church.”
* Nicholas Waigwa is a Kenyan multimedia journalist and broadcast technician with a professional background in creating engaging news stories and broadcasting content across multiple media platforms. He is passionate about the media apostolate and Catholic Church communication. This article was taken from aciafrica where the author had published it.