In this newsletter we share some updates on the growth of Daystar, a testament to God’s faithfulness through a difficult season. Not only has Daystar survived, but God has blessed the university with more students now than before COVID. President Laban informed me that enrollment has now surpassed 6,000 students! New programs are in the works, more projects are being planned, and enrollment in key areas has increased greatly. The Nursing School has almost 700 students, and the School of Law, once struggling with fewer than 50 students, has now surpassed 300!

With the student numbers increasing, so does the scholarship need.  At the end of 2022, close friends of Daystar offered a $50,000 match for scholarships to assist in helping the many students who were turned away because of a lack of funds. I am pleased to announce that we have reached the match!  Thank you to so many of you for giving to help these students.  Additionally, the Schefers Loan Program, which has a match of $450,000, has now reached $113,000. It’s also exciting to know that some funds have also been donated by Daystar alumni in Kenya! The most important news is always, of course, that lives are changed.  

Thank you for continuing to support the 250+ students receiving scholarship assistance.  You are enabling these young leaders to make a difference in the lives of those around them and in the greater community. With more than 25,000 Daystar alumni, more and more lives are being changed. Thank you for being part of these changed lives!

Not only will the building increase the quality of education, but it will also allow students to complete their education in the estimated time, which helps to saturate the nursing field in Kenya. “Our hope is that these students will stay in Kenya and use their education to change the healthcare landscape.” We say “thank you” to all those who made this building possible. 

In addition, Bill was able to meet many of the Daystar trustees, council, staff, and faculty members during a retreat held at Stoney Athi Resort. Bill, along with fellow board members and staff, Alan Cooke, Jack Eugster and Janet Sommers (along with husband Dan), also had the opportunity to meet with students preparing to become future servant-leaders.  For many, this is due to the generosity of our donors to the scholarships funded by Daystar U.S. They also had the great privilege to address chapel at the Nairobi Campus. 

"There will always be a reason why you meet people.  Either you need to change your life, or you're the one that will change theirs."  

The university and the people of Africa certainly changed Bill’s life nearly 30 years ago.  He prays that we will, in some small way, benefit the lives of the students at Daystar.   

In regards to Bill’s future hopes for both Daystar and Daystar U.S., he explained that right now the objective is to identify specific and attainable goals to fundraise for the future needs of the university. 

New Beginnings - Daystar School Of Nursing

The addition of the nursing building provides the school with the space and technology needed to continue to grow the program. Dr. Susan Njuguna explains that having a building dedicated to nursing allows for a streamlined approach to teaching. This will, in turn, create a higher quality of education for the students and ease for the faculty.

Dr. Njuguna explained that the main struggle the university is addressing right now is the lack of faculty to operate the program. At this time there is approximately one full-time faculty member per one hundred students. The university has enlisted some part-time faculty to help bridge the gap, but they are asking for prayers that more help would be received.

The number of nurses available to care for the Kenyan population is critically low. This deficit leads to a higher mortality and illness rate due to the population being unable to access practitioners. Daystar’s nursing program seeks to combat this shortage by providing patient-centered care grounded in Christian education.

Dr. Njuguna explained how DU graduates are making a difference by saturating the Kenyan healthcare arena: “The healthcare landscape in Kenya lacks practitioners. Most practitioners we do have are in the urban areas. DU graduate nurses fill that gap and attend to areas where there are no doctors.” She went on to explain that the majority of the mortality rate comes from maternal and pediatric complications. “Our nurses are trained specifically to be midwives in an effort to curb this mortality rate.”

Dr. Njuguna thanks our generous donors for making her dream come true of having the ability to make lasting changes in the healthcare landscape of Kenya. She is thankful that Daystar U.S. donors are saving the lives of mothers and children by enabling the Daystar University student nurses to acquire the skills and knowledge that they need.  

In 2020, Priscilla was making her livelihood by teaching private music lessons. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the reality of private lessons was no longer a possibility. Priscilla explained that this was a really tough time in her life and that it led to many questions about how she could afford the cost of living. It was then that Priscilla optimized her freetime while being quarantined at home and started her Instagram account. 

“At first it was really slow, and I had to get used to creating content on a regular basis,” Priscilla remembers. However, as she started to post more regularly, her number of followers began to grow. Priscilla enlisted the help of her fellow DU graduates to help her create more professional content, and it was well-received on Instagram. 

During her time at DU, she participated in every music program the school offered in specific the school’s Afrizo music collective. Maureen was part of the 2017 Afrizo tour, gracing five U.S. cities with her God-given voice. Out of all the places visited, she expressed that Florida was her favorite (and Minnesota her least favorite!) due to the cold temperatures (brrrr….). 

After graduation, Maureen worked in social media marketing for two different companies until leaving the office environment to pursue her music career full-time. Maureen is now currently serving as a worship leader for Purpose Centre Church in Nairobi. Her favorite part of leading worship is watching people experience God through worship. 

Maureen just recently began the process of writing her own music, and plans to record a live worship experience in the future.  

Daystar Prison Outreach

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Laban Ayiro announced in February that Daystar University is creating an educational model to provide local prison officers and inmates with access to study materials from their correctional facilities. This is part of his outreach plan to minister to prisoners and prison staff. 

The Daystar U.S. board held its semi-annual meeting this April in Bloomington, MN. This year’s meeting followed the tradition of past meetings, but with a twist! The meeting adopted a hybrid approach utilizing Zoom to conference in members who could not attend in person. We are pleased to say that the hybrid approach worked perfectly and allows for more flexibility to include all board members. 

The meeting covered these topics: the new buildings on Daystar campus, growth of the student body, and plans for the future. Prof. Laban Ayiro, Prof. George Njoroge, and Rev. Matthews Mwala traveled from their respective homes in Kenya to participate in the board meetings. 

A board dinner followed the day’s proceedings. The dinner served as a time of fellowship for board members as well as friends of Daystar. During the dinner we heard remarks from Bill Boulware (DUS Board Chairman), Ian Wanga (Daystar alumnus), Prof. Ayiro, Prof. Njoroge, and Rev. Mwalwa. In addition to a time of reflection, the dinner attendees tried their hand at architecture to compete in building the best free-standing tower of spaghetti – yes, you read that right! 

We are excited for the next time we can all gather together again and celebrate the great things taking place at Daystar University. 

Prof. Talitwala was instrumental in the expansion and establishment of Daystar University's main campus at Athi River, and  also the attainment of the charter for Daystar University. He became a visionary who would stop at nothing until the dream was fulfilled and a solution was found. For those who knew his vision and work ethic, they would joke, “Wherever Prof. T. looked down, a building came up.” Stephen always worked to achieve the best and encouraged others to do the same. He was a true East African: born in Uganda and adopted by Kenya.

Stephen’s drama-packed life served to touch the hearts of many. While his life on earth has ended,  his legacy of faith lives on in every life that was touched by his. Many who met him never remained the same, and they will continue to preserve the memory and the legacy that he leaves behind.

Two of Stephens’s favorite scriptures were: 

• Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (NLT) 

 • Proverbs 22:29 “Do you see a man skillful and experienced in his work? He will stand [in honor] before kings; He will not stand before obscure men” (AMP). 

Paying Tribute

He had an irresistible drive and determination. I clearly remember standing on the ground of the Athi River campus when the first buildings were coming out of the ground. It was June and the buildings were to be ready for use for the coming term – impossible, but for God and the determination of Professor Talitwala!

Professor Talitwala was a fearless and faithful evangelist for the Gospel and for Daystar. He could convince anyone about the importance of the vision and of the need for their full support of it! Without his ability to present the compelling vision to others, Daystar would not be the top tier university that it is today.

As we mark Professor Talitwala's promotion to Heaven, we give thanks to God for this remarkable servant of Jesus. God's agenda in the world has been advanced because of his remarkable leadership.

Stephen had an incredible way of getting things done that needed to get done. I saw an early example of this when Stephen and his wife, Elizabeth Mutheu, took Melva and me to Masai Mara game park. We were having a most wonderful time out on a game ride, some significant distance from our hotel, when the van stopped. The engine was running, but we didn’t move. After allowing the guide and driver to analyze the situation, Stephen offered his help. He happened to understand the system that connected the van’s engine with the transmission, and he quickly found the problem. Within just a minute Stephen was able to fix the van, and we were on our way. 

During the early growth years, Daystar needed more space almost constantly. When I showed up for Council meetings and marveled at the work that had been accomplished since the last meeting, the reason usually was that Stephen had become involved with the project directly and had gotten things done. His very practical engineering background and his “can-do” attitude made many contributions to Daystar that would otherwise have not been done, at least certainly not as quickly. 

Daystar University is a Christian institution at the very core, and this has always been the case. Professor Talitwala provided leadership for the academic organization, but he also provided spiritual leadership. Jesus was at the heart of who Stephen Talitwala was, and Jesus was with him wherever he was and whatever he was doing. 

Stephen was my friend. One of the advantages we had (when we lived in the Twin Cities of Minnesota together) was the time we were able to spend fundraising and working with DUS. I still remember conversations we had during those times. We talked about our families and Christian higher education. The conversations I remember best are the ones where we talked candidly about social issues as they related to the church and to our respective universities. I miss my friend, Stephen Talitwala, but look forward to spending time with him again when we meet with Jesus in heaven. 

Prof. Talitwala was laid to rest on April 24th, 2023, surrounded by his family, close friends, colleagues, faculty, staff, and students.

A True Servant Leader

Good Stewardship

Daystar’s loan program matches dollar for dollar your donation to support students. The loan is given at a low interest rate (which is put back into the fund to help others) and the payback can be either working at Daystar (such as a postgraduate student teaching undergrads) or making payments once they have secured a job.

In the last couple years the number of students who applied for scholarships has doubled, creating a need for increased funding to our scholarship program. Please consider supporting one of our scholarship programs.