Karatina University (KarU)

Founded in 2007 as the Moi University Central Kenya Campus with an initial intake of 100 students, Karatina University was upgraded to a constituent college of Moi University in 2010 and chartered in 2013. Located at Kagochi, approximately 15 kilometres north of Karatina town in Nyeri County, the university serves over 12,000 students.

The university operates six schools including Agriculture and Biotechnology, Business, Education and Social Sciences, Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Pure and Applied Sciences, and Law. Its location in the central highlands supports research in agriculture and natural resource management.

Accredited by CUE and the Council of Legal Education (CLE), the university ranks 36th nationally. It is the only public university headquartered in the Nyeri-the institution corridor, serving the educational needs of central Kenya's highland communities.

Karatina University's research focuses on agriculture, environmental conservation, and community development, with growing output in peer-reviewed journals advancing sustainable farming practices, forest conservation on Mount Kenya, and natural resource management. The School of Agriculture and Biotechnology conducts research on crop improvement, tissue culture, and agroforestry systems suited to the central Kenya highlands, while the School of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies advances research on biodiversity conservation and watershed management in the Mount Kenya ecosystem. Partnership with the University of Freiburg (Germany) supports collaborative research in environmental science and forestry, while participation in the East African Universities Mathematics Olympiad strengthens regional academic collaboration. The School of Pure and Applied Sciences investigates water quality, indigenous plant resources, and mathematical modelling for agricultural applications. Research output increasingly informs county-level environmental and agricultural policy across Nyeri, Kirinyaga, and the wider Mount Kenya region.

A C+ mean grade is the minimum for a Bachelor's degree; competitive programmes (medicine, engineering, law, nursing, architecture) require higher grades and specific KCSE subject clusters. Master's programmes require a relevant Bachelor's degree; PhD programmes a relevant Master's degree.