Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka left a crowd thrilled during a leadership and national prayer dinner in Nairobi when he narrated his past relationship with deported lawyer Miguna Miguna.
The two studied at the University of Nairobi and were part of the Students union tough leadership but the former governor admits he will never forget how the self-proclaimed NRM-Ke general cost him a key position at the university.
He spoke on Wednesday during this year's Africa Youth Leadership Forum (AYLF), when he presided over the awarding of top university student leaders whose innovations and leadership was deemed most deserving in serving society needs.
"Some of the things student leaders stood for during our time made it very risky to be part of those who lead the unions. In 1987, while at the University of Nairobi, our leadership lasted only nine days," recalled Lusaka.
"The union was disbanded because of what the leader stood for and sought to do and one of the student leaders was Miguna Miguna, then you know where it all begun."
[caption caption="Lawyer Miguna Miguna "]
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It is until when Lusaka moved to further his studies in the Netherlands that he was once again elected as a student leader. He served as the president of an association dubbed 'Scholars' during his Masters degree course.
Among those awarded last night was Baraton University's Edward Kipkalia and Joseph Kisumbu, Laikipia University's Lilian Muli, Martin Owila- Mount Kenya University and Maseno University Student Union's former finance secretary Bright-star Kasyoka.
The five were awarded Sh50,000 each by AYLF to be channelled to the facilitation of their various student leadership initiatives.
Siasa Place Executive director Nerima Wako, also a judge in the awards, said the finalists were drawn from a pool of 54 student leaders and were taken through rigorous leadership and integrity checks before the bench could settle on the best.
[caption caption="Brightstar Kasyoka, University Student Leaders Awards Finalist 2018"]
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Lusaka urged the leaders to advance meritocracy and challenged them to champion for the elimination of societal ills as corruption. He cited the need to instill morals among young people noting the current scandals that have rocked the country were not a good precedence.
"I wonder how you even sleep comfortably after being paid up to Sh50 Million for supplying nothing to a government institution or to anyone. We can not continue to live like that and young people have a role to play in ensuring we win this fight."
