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Ethics Postgraduate Program at Catholic Institute in Kenya to Nurture Leaders of Integrity

Poster of the new Masters of Arts (MA) in Ethics and Organizational Leadership program to be offered at the Centre for Leadership and Management (CLM) of Tangaza University College (TUC) in Kenya.

A new Masters of Arts (MA) in Ethics and Organizational Leadership program to be offered at a Kenya-based Catholic institution of higher learning jointly owned by 22 Religious Orders aims at nurturing leaders of integrity, officials of the Nairobi-based institution have told ACI Africa.

Set to officially start in January 2021, the MA program is being rolled out at the Centre for Leadership and Management (CLM) of Tangaza University College (TUC), a culturally diverse institution with students and faculty from over 40 countries, some 100 Religious Orders and Societies of Apostolic Life as well as individuals from other religions and denominations.

“We hope the program will contribute towards forming leaders who will have a personal sense of integrity,” CLM Acting Director, Sr. Alice Anzoyo told ACI Africa Friday, November 20.

Underscoring the significance of the program, Sr. Alice said the lack of integrity among leaders in the Eastern Africa region makes the initiative relevant.

“Given our society and environment particularly in our location, Eastern Africa, we are probably leading in rampant corruption practices,” the member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (SHS) said.

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She explained that the graduate program is expected to offer an opportunity “to form (an) individual human being who goes out to practice as a leader and is also able to have a sense of ethical and moral conduct in his/her behavior and that this person will hopefully be able to resist the (unethical) environment around him/ her and act ethically.”

Through the program, TUC’s CLM leadership strives to reach out to those on the ground as decision makers so as to “help them, empower them and train them not only in competence but in critical analysis,” the Program Leader, Fr. Apollinaire Chishugi told ACI Africa November 20.

“The program is designed to educate and prepare competent and ethical leaders in an organization, church and beyond,” Fr. Apollinaire who is a member of the Missionaries of Africa (M. Afr) added.

Those who go through the graduate program will not only be capable of analyzing situations in their work environment but also be able to make decisions that are right and that respect human rights besides taking moral obligations in their human relationships, the Professor of Political Philosophy explained.

The program stands out because of CLM’s competencies in terms of faculty and facilities, with the institution’s international network coupled with the program’s “very high” standards and content, making it unique, the Nairobi-based Congolese Cleric further said.

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Some of the areas of focus include articulation of integrity and trust as ethical knowledge; analysis of ethical principles; personal and collective values in decision-making; conflict resolution; and justice and fairness.

Other focus areas are forensic auditing of organizational systems and practices; ethical standards in organizational culture; and public ethical and civic responsibility promotion.

For Jackson Swakei Yenko, a CLM alumnus who plans to enroll for the two-year program, the graduate initiative is in line with his current work as a management staff at Kenya’s Narok County Assembly.

“I found the Master’s Program very relevant to me and connects to what I’m currently doing and my interests,” the holder of a BA in Leadership and Management with a specialization in Public Administration told ACI Africa November 20.

Observing that the electorate have a tendency to accuse politicians of abandoning them after elections, Mr. Yenko faulted the electorate in Kenya for repeatedly voting in the same leaders, the latter’s integrity notwithstanding.

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He told ACI Africa that he intends to use the skills and knowledge gained from the graduate program to empower people in his local community on various issues, including the need to elect leaders of integrity.

“Tangaza is the place to be. I have chosen Tangaza because of their strictness on matters of time and programs,” the Narok County Assembly management staff said.

He added, “I can advise anyone to enroll for the program at CLM because their staff do not disappoint; they are always supportive.”

Supported by U.S-based DePaul University, the program is the first graduate initiative at CLM, which has been offering BA and Diploma courses in Leadership and Management.

“It means our profile as CLM is growing and widening,” Sr. Alice told ACI Africa November 20.

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“It is a sense of maturity and a sign that we are getting more mature graduates out there,” the Ugandan-born Sister added.

Nine applicants have confirmed their enrollment as pioneers to the ethics graduate program, “most of them Kenyans; we have one Nigerian who will be joining the program in January 2021,” Sr. Margaret Mutiso, a member of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart (DSH) who is the Acting Assistant Director of CLM told ACI Africa November 20.