It was a memorable Debate Night at The Oxford Union for Beit Scholar, Charles Shachinda, in May 2025.  

As a Beit Scholar, he graduated in 2021 with an MSc in Water Sanitation and Health Engineering from Leeds University.  He followed this with a highly successful 3 years at British Water, as Technical Officer – International, reporting directly to the CEO, where he coordinated and led business development engagements across a range of regional water markets.  This position culminated with him being awarded the Oxford Blavatnik School of Government Policy Leadership Scholarship to pursue the MPP program, hence placing him in Oxford and the opportunity to join the Oxford Union.   

At the invitation of Union President Anita Okunde, he was invited to deliver the floor debate speech in The Oxford Union Chamber on 29 May 2025, which, as he explained, promised and proved to be a riveting debate night, drawing in a full-capacity audience.

This experience enabled him to reflect on his high school days as a debater, marking a full-circle moment for him, to be debating at one of the world’s oldest and foremost debating platforms.  

His fellow speakers, on both sides of the bench and each accomplished in their respective fields, were: Vusi Thembekwayo – South African Venture Capitalist, Author, Entrepreneur; Dr. Umar Johnson – American Clinical Psychologist, Activist, Author; Bupe Lughano K. – Oxford MSc Candidate in Global Governance & Diplomacy; Batanayi Katongera – Lawyer and In-house Transfer Pricing Expert, Oxford Alumnus; Errol Musk – Businessman and Father of Elon Musk.

Charles also had the pleasure of serving as the Oxford Union’s International Officer for Trinity Term – an appointment that he said made his final term at Oxford all the more worthwhile.