By D, KNA
Meru University of Science and Technology (MUST) has successfully held an inaugural mountain run, aimed at raising funds to cater for needy students at the institution of higher learning.
The event, covering 14 kilometers for both men and women was held at the University’s Marimba Campus in South Imenti Constituency, attracting professional runners across the country.
According to the University’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Romanus Odhiambo, the event marked an historical occasion for the institution, attracting people from all walks of life.
He said they were looking forward to making it an annual event that will be used not only to sensitize people about needs in the society, but also to conserve the environment.
“We have met the two main objectives today and going forward, the little money we are collecting will be put together as an endowment fund. We will put it in an account to earn interest and the generated income will then be utilized to support the poor students,” said Prof. Odhiambo.
The VC added that there were many poor students among them, and on a scale of one to a hundred, almost 30 percent their students, were actually from humble backgrounds to the extent they cannot buy food, pay household bills, and sometimes even meet their personal needs.
Through this kind of initiative, he added, we look forward to supporting the disadvantaged segment of learners.
The University Council Chairman Prof. James Kanya on his side, said the idea of the mountain run came up sometimes back, but it had not been actualized till Sunday September 7, 2025.
“We want to make this an educational event considering that the Curriculum Based Education takes care of sports science. The CBE group is joining University in 2029 and therefore we want it to be nurtured and converted into a sporting activity at the Meru University,” said Kanya.
He added that mountain runs are not common occurrence because the facility itself- the mountain- should be available before anything else.
However, for Meru University they are already endowed with a mountain and this is the reason they felt that they should utilize the elevated ground first for their own betterment, secondly as an environmental conservation area and also as a way of recreation.
“We are also looking forward to making Marimba a center, where we can create avenues for entertainment in terms of sports,” said Kanya.
Area MP Dr. Shadrack Mwiti thanked the organizers of the event, adding that they were looking forward to having more similar events at the institution.
“The Marimba community is happy that the University decided to hold this event here and we are ready to support them fully for our own benefits and the country at large,” said Dr Mwiti.
He said they were also looking forward to the expansion of the campus to a full-fledged University in order to accommodate more learners and further develop the area.
Athletics Kenya Mountain run Chairman Peter Angwenyi congratulated the University for holding the run promising their support whenever needed in future.
“We congratulate Meru University fraternity for this milestone and we will walk with them throughout this journey in order to support the needy students as well as nurture talents within this county and beyond,” he said.
Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) produced the top three winners in the 14 kilometer men’s race with Michael Serero, who is also the third best worldwide in mountain running, emerging the winner.
Serero, who is heading to Spain in the next two weeks for a similar run, was followed closely by colleagues Shadrack Korir and Josphat Tuwei respectively.
In the women category, Gladys Sangol also from KDF finished first followed by Regina Wambui and Jedidah Chepekemoi from Nairobi and Nakuru counties respectively.
The winner of the 14-kilometre race took home Sh200,000 while the second and the third winners got Sh150, 000 and Sh100, 000 respectively.