CUEA–OERP Research Series Launch
By Stephen Mbobu
The Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) and the Oryjong Economic Research Programme (OERP) launched the CUEA–OERP Research Series 2026, at an event here at the Innovation Hub, Langata Campus on September 25, 2026 with researchers challenged to uphold honesty, rigour and commitment to the common good in the pursuit of knowledge.
Speaking during the opening session of the Research Series, CUEA’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Advancement Partnerships (RIAP), Prof. Damian Maingi, said research carried a responsibility beyond the production of academic knowledge, requiring researchers to pursue truth with integrity and to consider the wider societal implications of their work.
The Research Series was held under the theme “The Responsibility of the Researcher in the Pursuit of Truth.”
Prof. Maingi said the theme reflected CUEA’s founding conviction that faith and reason were complementary in the search for truth. He drew on Pope John Paul II’s 1998 encyclical Fides et Ratio, which described faith and reason as complementary paths in humanity’s pursuit of truth.
He said CUEA approached research as a moral undertaking, with researchers expected to conduct their work honestly, communicate findings truthfully and contribute to the common good through evidence-based policy advice.
“To research well is to search honestly; to publish well is to speak truthfully; and to advise policy well is to serve the common good rather than convenience,” Prof. Maingi said.
Research Focused on Societal Challenges
Prof. Maingi highlighted the growing partnership between CUEA and OERP, noting that Fellows and Associates from the University had worked alongside OERP economists to examine questions relating to policy formulation and implementation, service delivery and economic transformation.
He said the research had focused on practical issues affecting communities, rather than abstract academic questions, adding that the findings could contribute to understanding how policies and services affected citizens' dignity, opportunities and access to justice.
The partnership, he noted, had provided a platform for researchers to interrogate issues affecting the region while strengthening collaboration between academic researchers and economic policy practitioners.
Philosophical Foundation for Research
The Research Series opened with a lecture by Rev. Dr. John Mundua AJ, which examined reason, the search for truth and the question of why the world was knowable.
Prof. Maingi said the opening lecture had provided a philosophical foundation for the technical and policy-oriented sessions that followed, including discussions on ICT, policy design, service delivery and economic change.
He urged participants to approach the sessions with intellectual openness and discipline, encouraging them to engage honestly, question rigorously and listen generously.
Strengthening the Research Pipeline
Prof. Maingi also said CUEA was committed to supporting Fellows and Associate presenters as their research developed into working papers, proposals and potential collaborations.
He noted that the Research Series formed part of the efforts to strengthen the CUEA–OERP Research Pipeline and create opportunities for sustained collaboration between researchers from the two institutions.
The opening session brought together CUEA staff and students, OERP representatives, Fellows and Associates and other participants for the first research series session of 2026.
Prof. Maingi said the programme was expected to provide a platform for continued engagement around research, policy and economic transformation while reinforcing the responsibility of researchers to pursue and communicate knowledge grounded in truth.