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Kenyatta University (KU)

A leading public university in Kahawa, Kenya, known for education, business, health sciences, and digital learning.

County
Nairobi
Established
1965
Students
70,000
Employment rate
75%

The institution

Who they are, how big, and how they rank.

About

Founded in 1965 as Kenyatta College, a secondary-level teacher training institution, Kenyatta University (KU) was chartered in 1985 as a full public university. Located in Kahawa, along the Thika Superhighway in Kiambu County, KU serves over 70,000 students across multiple campuses.

The university operates nine schools including Education, Business Economics and Tourism, Engineering and Architecture, Health Sciences, Law Arts and Social Sciences, Pure and Applied Sciences, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, and the Digital School of Virtual and Open Learning. Campuses include Ruiru, Parklands, Kitui, Mombasa, City Centre, Nyeri, and Nakuru.

Accredited by CUE, KU ranks 4th nationally. Its Digital School of Virtual and Open Learning is a pioneer in online education in Kenya, and the university's Nokia-Microsoft Mobile Laboratory supports ICT innovation and training.

The numbers

Annual fees
Ksh 16,000 to Ksh 130,000
Student to staff
1:20
Mode of study
Full-time, Part-time, Distance Learning
Charter status
Chartered
Chartered
1985
Scholarships
Offered

Research

Ku maintains a prolific research agenda with over 120 publications and 110,000 patents and copyrights, ranking 2nd in kenya for agricultural and biological sciences and 2nd for medicine nationally. the division of research, innovation and outreach manages ksh.140m in grants, supporting strengths in education, health sciences, gis technology, and social sciences. ku's collaboration with the kenya national innovation agency (kenia) on the research 2 commercialisation (r2c) project, supported by the european union, is developing national guidelines for translating university research into market ready innovations. partnerships with erasmus+ (eu), daad (germany), and leuphana university (germany) enhance faculty development and joint research, while the united nations academic impact (unai) sdg hub designation recognises ku's contribution to sustainable development goals. the university's 50+ start ups and innovation ecosystem position it as a leader in research commercialisation across east africa.

Accredited by

  • Commission for University Education (CUE)
  • Engineering Board of Kenya (EBK)
  • Council of Legal Education (CLE)
  • Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (MPDC)

What they teach

Faculties, departments and the programmes on offer.

Admission requirements

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.

Intakes

  • January
  • May
  • September

Schools and faculties

9 in total
  • School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences

    Main Campus, Kahawa

  • School of Business, Economics and Tourism

    Main Campus, Kahawa

  • School of Education

    Main Campus, Kahawa

  • School of Engineering and Architecture

    Main Campus, Kahawa

  • School of Health Sciences

    Main Campus, Kahawa

  • School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences

    Main Campus, Kahawa

  • School of Pure and Applied Sciences

    Main Campus, Kahawa

  • Graduate School

    Main Campus, Kahawa

  • Digital School of Virtual and Open Learning

    Main Campus, Kahawa

Campus and beyond

Where you would be, and who they are connected to.

Campuses

Main campus
Main Campus
  • Main Campus (Kahawa)

    Nairobi

    Kahawa, along Nairobi-Thika Road, 17.5 km from Nairobi CBD

  • Ruiru Campus

    Kiambu

    Ruiru, along Thika Road

  • Parklands Campus

    Nairobi

    Parklands, Nairobi

  • Kitui Campus

    Kitui

    Kwa Vonza, Kitui

  • Mombasa Campus

    Mombasa

    Mombasa, Nkrumah Road

  • City Centre Campus

    Nairobi

    Nairobi CBD

  • Nyeri Campus

    Nyeri

    Nyeri Town

  • Nakuru Campus

    Nakuru

    Nakuru, Kenyatta Avenue

  • Kericho Campus

    Kericho

    Kericho (closed)

  • Dadaab Campus

    Garissa

    Dadaab, Garissa

  • Embu Campus

    Embu

    Embu Town

On campus

  • Main Library
  • Sports Complex
  • Medical Centre
  • Student Hostels
  • Research Facilities
  • Conference Centre

Notable alumni

  • Uhuru Kenyatta (Former President of Kenya)
  • Raila Odinga (Former Prime Minister)

International partnerships

7 institutions
  • Erasmus+ Programme (EU)
  • University of Tartu, Parnu College (Estonia)
  • DAAD (Germany)
  • African Union Commission
  • United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) SDG Hub
  • Cape Peninsula University of Technology (South Africa)
  • Leuphana University (Germany)

Further reading

Keep this

Entry marks, intakes and fees at Kenyatta University are restated each year. Save it and the app keeps this version, so you can see what changed when it does.