A Historical Perspective of University Education in Kenya

4.2.1.1 Public Universities

Over the past 40 years of Kenya’s independence, there has been big expansion of university education and training in terms of both physical facilities and enrolment. As of now, there are six public universities, some of them with constituent colleges. Enrolment stood at 37,973 in 1996/97 academic years. There was a rise in enrolment to 43,591 in 1997/98 academic year followed by a drop to 40,613 in 1998/99 academic year.¹⁸⁶ However enrolment rose by 1.6% from 41,825 students during the 1999/2000 to 42,508 during the 2000/2001 academic years.¹⁸⁷

185 National Report Presented to the 45^th. Session of the International Conference of Education, Geneva, September 5- October 1996 / Republic of Kenya. - Available: http://www.

Ibe.unesco/International/Dossiers/mainfram.htm. (08/07/02)

186Statistical Abstract, 1999 / Republic of Kenya. – Nairobi: Government Printer, 2000. - p. 223

187Economic Survey, 2001 / Republic of Kenya. – Nairobi: Government Printer, 2002. - p.39

The development of university education in Kenya started in 1922 when Makerere College was established as a small technical college which grew into an inter-territorial institution admitting students from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zanzibar. In 1949 Makerere College entered into special relationship with the University of London in order to enable its students to study for the degrees of the University of London. In 1947, the then colonial Kenyan government drew up a plan for the establishment of a technical and commercial institute in Kenya. By 1949, this plan grew into an East African concept, aimed at providing higher technical education for all the territories of East Africa. In 1951, this idea received a Royal Charter, under the Royal Technical College of East Africa. In 1952 the construction of the college was started. At this time, the Asian community in East Africa was also planning to build a college for arts, science and commerce as a living memory to Mahatma Gandhi. To avoid duplication of efforts, the Gandhi Memorial Academy Society agreed to merge interests with those of the East African governments and hence the incorporation of Mahatma Gandhi Academy into the Royal Technical College of East Africa in 1954. The college admitted its first students in 1956.

In 1958, a working party was established to review and advise the colonial government on the pattern of education in East Africa. Among the key recommendations of the working party was that through reconstruction and addition of facilities, the Royal Technical College should be transformed into the second Inter-Territorial College in East Africa. The recommendation was accepted by the East African governments and in 1961 and by an act of the East African High Commission, the Royal Technical College was transformed into the second university college of East Africa and renamed Royal College, Nairobi. The college entered into a special relationship with the University of London such that students taking courses in arts, science and engineering could prepare for bachelor degree of the University of London. In 1963 the Royal College became University College Nairobi following the establishment of the University of East Africa with Makerere, Dar-es-Salaam as the constituent colleges. In 1970 the University of East Africa was dissolved with each of the three East African countries establishing its own

national university. University College Nairobi was therefore renamed University of Nairobi.¹⁸⁸

The University of Nairobi Act also established Kenyatta University College as a constituent college of the University of Nairobi and in 1972 the college enrolled the first students for the degree of the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) of the University of Nairobi.

In 1981 the Presidential Working Party on the second university noted that the expansion of the University of Nairobi had not kept pace with the increasing demand made on it in terms of diversified curricula and absorption of the ever growing number of secondary school leavers. Therefore it recommended a second university with a bias to technology, which was established in 1985 under the name Moi University.

The next five years from 1985-1990 witnessed a dramatic growth in the number of universities. The two former constituent colleges of the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University and Egerton became fully-fledged universities in 1985 and 1987 respectively.

The growth in demand for university education necessitated the conversion of a number of tertiary institutions into university facilities. This led to the establishment of Jomo Kenyatta University College of Agriculture and Technology, initially as a constituent college of Kenyatta University in 1988 and later became a fully-fledged university as Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Maseno University was established in 1990 as a constituent college of Moi University and upgraded to a full university known as Maseno University in 2000.¹⁸⁹

In 2000/2001 the University of Nairobi had the largest enrolment at 11,817. These were distributed in the following six campus colleges; College of Biological Sciences, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Architecture and Engineering, College of Health Sciences, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, College of Education and External Studies. The university has faculties for medicine, science, veterinary

188University Education in Kenya with Special Reference to Planning and Development of Nairobi and Kenyatta University College: First Report of the University Grants Committee, 1980-1983 / Republic of Kenya. – Nairobi: Government Printer, 1984. - p. 4-5

189Economic Survey, 2000 / Republic of Kenya. – Nairobi: Government Printer, 2001. – p. 41

medicine, agriculture, arts, commerce, law, education, external studies, engineering, architecture, and design and development. It has a number of institutes, and schools that supplement its academic faculties and disciplines. These are; Institute of Population Studies, Institute of African Studies, Institute of Computer Science, Institute of Development Studies, Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies and School of Journalism.¹⁹⁰

Moi University is a science and technology institution situated in Eldoret in western region of the country is a technology-oriented institution with a student population of 6,713 in the 2000/2001 academic year. It has faculties for: education, forest resources and wildlife management, health sciences and, technology. The schools include the following:

School of Environment Studies, School of Social, Cultural and Development Studies, and the School of Graduate Studies. It has two campuses; the main campus and Chepkoilel campus. In 2000/2001 academic year, Maseno University College which was formerly a constituent college of Moi University specializes in training graduate teachers and has an enrolment of 4,134, while Kenyatta University has a current enrolment is 7,474 with the following faculties; science, arts, education, commerce, environmental education and home science. The following centres supplement its academic programmes; Bureau of Educational Research, Basic Education Resource Centre.¹⁹¹

Egerton University is mainly an agricultural university with student population of 7,702 in 2000/2001 academic year. It has two campus colleges namely, Laikipia Campus and Kisii Campus. Presently the University operates programmes under the following faculties; arts and social sciences, agriculture, education and human resources, science.

The new constituent college at Kisii undertakes to train untrained graduate teachers in its one-year post graduate Diploma in Education besides other university programmes.

Finally, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) which had been operating as a constituent college of Kenyatta University, but was elevated to full University status on the 1993 had a student population of 4,284 as in 2000/2001 academic

190Economic Survey, 2001 / Republic of Kenya. – Nairobi: Government Printer, 2002. - p.39

191 Ibid

year. It has three faculties, namely; agriculture, engineering and science. The Institute of Human Resources Development offers service courses to students in all faculties.

JKUAT, like Egerton University, offers a wide range of programmes in agriculture, animal Science and agricultural Engineering.¹⁹²

4.2.1.2 Private Universities

There has been tremendous growth in private university education institutions. There are more than 14 private degree-offering institutions in Kenya. However so far only five of them have been granted accreditation by the Commission of Higher Education, which is the public body mandated to regulate the establishment and running of university institutions in Kenya. These are Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Daystar University, United States International University, University of East Africa, Baraton and Scott Theological College. The other private degree offering institutions are affiliated to universities overseas and do not, therefore, award their own degrees. The Commission for Higher Education (CHE) inspects and visits the institutions to ensure that they offer acceptable degree programmes. It also advises them on curriculum and procedures to follow in order to qualify for a charter

The three private universities that were already accredited by the government enrolled a total of 3,379 students in 1996/97 academic year compared to 2,763 in the previous year.

This represented a significant 22.7% rise. Enrolment went up by 7.9% to reach 3,646 in 1997/98 academic year. While in the 1998/99 academic year it went up by 6.6% to stand at 3,888. The number of fully chartered private universities grew from four to five and consequently student enrolment grew by 78.8% from 3,888 in 1998 to 6,920 in 1999/00 academic year only increasing slightly to 6,999 in 2000/2001 academic year¹⁹³

The public universities are parastatal organisations each established by an act of parliament and administered by its own internal structures under the umbrella of a university council. The head of state appoints a chancellor for each of the public

192 Ibid. p.40

193 Ibid. p.41

universities. Below the chancellor is a university council, for each university, with a chairman and members appointed by the chancellor. The council handles all matters of the university with regard to finance, investment and appointment. Below the council is the senate whose chairman is the vice-chancellor and includes principals of colleges, deans of faculties, chairmen of departments and directors of institutes and the registrars.

Students are also represented. The senate of each university is the final authority on academic matters. The day to day running of the university is in the hands of the vice-chancellor, assisted by one, two or three deputies, depending on the size of the university.

Registrars look after academic matters while the dean of students is responsible for the students’ welfare. The universities enjoy the freedom to decide what may be taught and who may teach and they are expected to exercise responsibility commensurate with that freedom.

The private universities have their own administrative structures. Generally each has a university council whose chairman is also the chancellor. The Commission of Higher Education (CHE) carries out the coordination of the universities for higher education. For purposes of general policy direction the Ministry of Education is represented on the councils of the universities.