St. Paul’s University’s (SPU) student fraternity went to the ballot on Tuesday 21st March, 2023 to elect new leaders. Every year, students elect officials in various capacities to
represent their interests at the decision-making table. The SPU culture promotes inclusion. As such, student representatives, the President/Supreme Chairperson and Secretary General sit in the University Council and Senate – top decision making organs in the university.
Apart from the President/Supreme Chairperson and Secretary General, the students also elect representatives to the following positions in the Supreme Council: Supreme Vice Chairperson, Supreme Treasurer, Academic Secretary, Supreme Co-Curricular and Students Affairs Secretary, Supreme Special Needs and International Affairs Secretary. Representatives are elected to Governing Councils at Campus levels to the following positions: Campus Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Co-curricular and Social Affairs Secretary, Students’ Chaplain, and Special Needs and International Affairs Secretary.
For the first time in the history of the St. Paul's University Students’ Association elections, a Maasai was elected President! Victor Solitei, a third-year student, broke the institution’s elections record by beating his rival, Bedan Onyango, by more than 400 votes. Solitei and his running mate Shalody Chepkorir garnered 1,100 votes against Onyango’s 575 votes in the hotly contested elections that went through Tuesday night to Wednesday. Solitei, a Bachelor of Arts in Communications majoring in Public Relations, said that it was not an easy task to make it to the top leadership and thanked God for elevating him. “This is an achievement for me and more so for my village in ‘Imaroro’ Ward in Kajiado county. As I prepare to take over the leadership of the students association, I call upon my comrades to take the opportunity of my open-door policy to resolve issues affecting them,” he said.
The Assistant Dean of Students, Rev. Daniel Kirienye and the university’s VC, Canon Prof. James Kombo described the elections as fair and transparent. Kirienye said the elections were peaceful as students across all the campuses exercised their democratic rights to vote for their preferred leaders. The new student leaders are expected to be sworn in on a date that will be gazetted. Solitei will be taking over from the outgoing President, Marvin Ibrahim.